Distant Memories
by xSweetEternityx
Summary: [AxC]Cagalli is a new student at Shinto High School and falls in love with the all popular Athrun Zala. While Cagalli's childhood friend, Kira has a big crush on her and is too shy to say anything, but when Athrun supposedly dies, what will happen to her?
1. At the Begining

Distant Memories

(Athrun x Cagalli Fic)

A/N:Hi! This is my first ever fic and well I hope you think it's okay for the first chapter.

**Chapter 1: At the Begining:**

It was the first day at school for a certain blonde headed girl who looked at her new highschool. Being transferred from Nagoya, Tokyo seemed like a really busy place in the golden-brown eyes of Cagalli Yula Athha. Yet she felt alone, being in a strange new place and not knowing anyone. As she entered the building, she saw that everything was bigger, a lot bigger. Bigger halls, bigger rooms, everything! "Wow..." breathed Cagalli as she paused to take a better look at everything.

Students were busy coming in and out of rooms, chatting with friends and getting their stuff from their lockers. As Cagalli stood there gazing at her new school, the bell rang and everything seemed alive and moving. Students were now rushing to their classes and Cagalli realized she hasn't even got her time schedule yet. "Oh no! I'm going to be late again and this is only my first day!" she moaned as she ran down the halls and into a room she supposed was the office.

But she was correct, thankfully. It was the office and many secretaries were busy handing out student cards and schedules. Cagalli went up to a lady who was helping a tall boy with short, spikey brown hair. The boy turned around as Cagalli came closer. "C-Cagalli?" asked a familar voice as Cagalli heard her name and faced the boy.

Cagalli's eyes widened. "Kira? W-what are you doing here?" she stammered in surprise at seeing her old best friend from Nagoya.

"I go to this school, are you new here?" Kira asked, swallowing his surprise.

Cagalli nodded, with her mouth dropping as she realized that she knew at least one person in this strange town. "Awesome! What's your first class?" Kira asked as the lady came back with his timestable.

Cagalli closed her gaping mouth and shrugged. "I don't know, that is why I'm here," she said as the lady turned to face her.

"Hello there, how can I help you?" asked the secretary.

Cagalli faced the secretary. "Hi, I'm a new transfer student here and I was wondering if I could have my schedule," she answered.

The secretary nodded and typed some stuff into the school computer. "And what is your name, Miss?" she asked.

"Athha, Cagalli Yula" answered Cagalli as she prayed she wouldn't be too late. **(A/N: In Asia, students say their last names first)**

Kira stood next to her and grinned. "Don't worry, you transfer students get it easy," he answered as Cagalli relaxed a bit.

The secretary quickly found her schedule and printed it off for her. "Here you go. You better hurry, the second bell for class will ring soon," she said and the second bell rung.

"Oh! Thank you! Ahhh! I'm going to be late!" said Cagalli as she took off, not knowing where her homeroom was.

"Cagalli! Hold on! You don't even know where everything is!" Kira called out.

Cagalli slowed down. She looked at him really confused, "Don't worry, I'll help you get to your homeroom. It's down the hall and to your left. It should say room number 14. Mine is number 15," said Kira as he caught up with her.

Cagalli flashed him a really grateful smile and continued to hurry. "Thanks a lot, Kira!" she said and quickly entered her room, out of breath.

Everyone looked in her direction. The teacher turned to her. "Miss, you're just on time," he grinned as Cagalli smiled in relief.

"I take it you are our new transfer student, Miss?" asked the teacher as he stood up.

Cagalli nodded and looked around the class. There were about 30 students in there and in rows. She noticed there was only one extra seat and desk in front of a boy with midnight-blue hair and emerald eyes. He caught her eyes and then looked away. The teacher stood next to her and asked her to introduce herself. "My name is Cagalli Yula Athha and I hope I can be friends with you all," she said and bowed politely.

The teacher introduced himself as Mr. La Flaga and welcomed her into his room. "You may have the seat in front of Mr. Zala. Please take your seat," said Mr. La Flaga and Cagalli quickly sat down.

Mr. La Flaga talked more about the rules of the school and then asked some volunteers to assist the new comers around the school. A girl with medium length brown hair and clear blue eyes volunteered to help Cagalli around. Mr. La Flaga nodded and the girl took Cagalli outside. "Hey Miss. Athha, my name is Hawwe Mirillia. Nice to meet you!" she said cheerfully as held out her hand.

Cagalli smiled and took Mirillia's hand. "Nice to meet you too, Miss. Hawwe," said Cagalli and the two of them went around the school. Mirillia was really nice and showed Cagalli everything, from her locker to all of the rooms. Then by the time they finished, it was already lunch. "You can eat lunch with me and my friends if you like," offered Mirillia.

Cagalli smiled. "Thanks a lot, Miss Hawwe!" she said brightly.

Mirillia shood her head and smiled. "You don't have to be too formal with us students. Just call me Mirillia or Mir," she said.

Cagalli nodded. "Okay, Mir. You can just call me Cagalli then," she said.

_This school is a lot different than my old school. We had to call everyone Miss or Mr. It was so annoying. I think I like this school..._ Cagalli thought as she was dragged away by Mirillia to a table with a number of people. "Hey everyone, this is Cagalli!" said Mirillia.

Cagalli smiled as she saw Kira, who grinned back. A lot of "hey's, hi's, and hello's" were exchanged between Cagalli and everyone else. They all gave their names as Lacus, Kira, Dearkka and Sai. Cagalli noticed the boy who sat behind her in the previous class named Athrun. Cagalli sat down and ate her lunch while talked with the others. Suddenly a few girls came by. 2 red heads and one girl who looked exactly like Lacus, but was different. "Hey Athrun! Wanna come and eat lunch with us?" the Lacus-look-a-like asked in a very sweet tone that made Cagalli want to gag.

Athrun turned and looked at them, "No thanks, I'll eat here," he answered coolly.

The girls moped, but went back to their table. Athrun shook his head in disbelief. "Geez, them again. They stalk me everywhere," he groaned.

Kira had an amused expression on his face. "Well Athrun, it is your fault you're so popular here. Every girl except Lacus, Mirillia and Cagalli are after you," said Kira.

Athrun gave Kira a simple look that said it-is-not-my-fault. Kira shrugged and continue to eat. Soon more girls came in their direction. _Oh boy, what now? _asked Cagalli as she started to finish her lunch. Athrun rose from the table. "I better go now," he said and walked out of the cafeteria.

Everyone soon finished and went to their next class. For Cagalli, it was Physical Education. As she got changed and went onto the track, she noticed the boys that had the same P.E time. Athrun was there too, talking to a blonde-haired guy with tanned skin. The P.E teacher, Mrs. Ramius told them she forgot her stop watch and told them to keep running along the track. Cagalli warmed up and noticed some dark glares from the three girls who had past their table at lunch. _What is their problem?_ Cagalli thought to herself and ran. All of the girls ran while the boys cheered them on. Cagalli was in the lead, being an athletic person until she saw a foot swing. Cagalli tried to evade it, but got caught up in it and fell. The pink-haired girl smirked and continue to run, with loud cheers from the guys. As Cagalli stood up shakily, she fell back down since her ankle was twisted pretty bad. A member of the boys' team ran up to her and offered her a hand. "Here," he said with a cool voice.

Cagalli looked up to find Athrun, offering to help her.

**A/N: Um... I hope that was okay! Well review if you like or flame me, even though I preferably rather not have any. -;**


	2. The Bud of a Flower

A/N: Hey everyone, thanks to the people who reviewed! It made me really happy.

Disclaimer: Sorry, I forgot to do this to my previous chapter. Anyway, I don't own any of the characters from Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny. I just own this plot.

**Chapter 2: The Bud of a Flower**

_Cagalli looked up to find Athrun, offering to help her. _Cagalli blushed slightly, seeing how close he was, but took his hand. In his hands, Cagalli strangely felt warm and safe, as if those hands would always be there to protect here. "Hey, can you stand?" Athrun asked as he gently lifted her up.

Cagalli shakily stood up, but winced in pain. "Ah!" she gasped as she felt as if she was about to fall back onto the hard solid ground, but those strong hands kept her up.

"Hmm, I'll take that as a no. C'mon, get onto my back, I'll take you to the nurse's office," said Athrun as he bent down.

Cagalli hesitated for a moment, but Athrun insisted and Cagalli ended up agreeing. She felt her cheeks turn red, but hoped it wasn't visible. She was always a strong person, yet how did she become so weak, by a mere fall? "Cagalli, was it?" said Athrun, as he walked inside the building.

"Yeah, that's me," Cagalli said weakly as she felt as if she only weighed a feather, since Athrun could move so easily.

_He must be a coordinator then. No one I know that is a Natural could hold me as if I weigh nothing,_ Cagalli thought. "I saw what Mia did to you back there. You okay?" asked Athrun.

Cagalli was surprised. She didn't think that anyone saw what had really happened. _Yet those emerald eyes of his saw everything, every motion._ _I guess that Lacus-look-a-like was Mia. _"Oh yeah, thanks, Athrun," she mumbled in embarassement.

His name came out nicely through her mouth. Athrun turned his head and smiled at her. Cagalli felt blood go up to her cheek. _What is this feeling? Don't tell me I'm falling for this guy! I mean sure, he's kinda good looking and he's really nice, but what do I know about him? He might even be a player. _Cagalli thought quickly. Athrun quickly brought her into the nurse's office and laid her down gently onto the bed. "Wait here, I'll go get the nurse," he said and ran off.

Cagalli sat there wondering what everyone else was doing. _Kira... I wonder if I'll be in any of his classes. I haven't seen him for a long time since he transfered from Nagoya..._ Soon Athrun came back with the nurse. The nurse checked up on her ankle and wrapped it up with bandages. Then she gave Cagalli an ice pack and told her to return the ice pack at the end of the day. "C'mon, I think P.E period is over. What is your next class?" Athrun asked.

Cagalli, who was still sitting on the bed, reached into her pocket and brought out her folded timestable. "Uh... science next in room # 8," she answered.

Athrun smiled. "Same here, that'll be Mr. Waltfeld. C'mon, I'll take you there. Put your hand on my shoulder," he said.

Cagalli limped on her good leg and held onto Athrun for support. As they entered the class together, it seemed that they were already late. "Mr. Zala, and I take it you are Miss Athha? Why are you late?" asked Mr. Waltfeld.

Cagalli opened her mouth to answer, but Athrun answered instead. "Sorry, Mr. Waltfeld, but Miss Athha was injured during Physical Education and I volunteered to help her to the nurse's office," he replied.

Cagalli blushed as she felt everyone looking at her. Mr. Waltfeld's grim face faded and he smiled. "Well Miss Athha, I hope you're better now and I would like to welcome you to the class," he said.

Cagalli nodded and smiled weakly as she saw with the corners of her eyes some girls who were shooting death glares at her for being with the all popular Athrun Zala. "Very well, you two may now take your seats," said Mr. Waltfeld.

Cagalli took her seat next to Mirillia and was near the window. "Hey, Cagalli! What's up?" whispered Mirillia.

Cagalli smiled weakly. "N-nothing, I just fell and hurt my ankle really bad," she whispered back as she felt her cheeks turning red again.

Mirillia gave her friend an understanding smile and went back to work. Inside of Cagalli's mind, there were a lot of mixed feelings. _Nah, it couldn't be, Athrun just wanted to be nice and help out. Me, well I guess I was just getting worked up for nothing. We're just friends, if he considers me as one. _Cagalli thought and continued her work.

After the bell rang and everyone left, Cagalli walked home to her apartment. She lived alone. Her mother was still in Nagoya, busy working. She didn't have a father. Her mother told her that when Cagalli was still an infant, her father had left them and never came back. Cagalli felt bitterness to her father that she never met for leaving them. Cagalli sighed and shook out her negative feelings towards her father and entered her apartment. Her apartment was cozy, yet a little lonely. No one was here except for herself. Cagalli fell onto her bed and immediately fell asleep, not expecting the many things that would happen to her tomorrow.

**A/N: Well that's that for this chappie. So sorry it's so short. I promise to make it longer for the next chapter. It's called the bud of a flower because I thought for maybe Cagalli's really inexperienced with feelings of love and doesn't know if she likes Athrun or not.**

**Cagalli: WHAT did you say!**

**Me: Sorry... but it's true...**

**Cagalli: Well I'm not speaking to you!**


	3. Emerald Warmth

**A/N: Hi! Told ya it'll be a bit longer! But still not as long as the first chapter. I dunno how long this story will be. Just got the plot figured out. The begining might be a little boring, but I promise it'll get better soon. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own any of the characters from Gundam Seed/Destiny. Only this plot that I'm writing.**

**Chapter 3: Emerald Warmth**

As an alarm clock went off in a distance, a half-awake blonde girl mumbled and whacked the snooze button. Several minutes later, it went off again. Cagalli groaned but sat up sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and yawned largely, Then she looked at her alarm clock and then to her closet, but back to her alarm clock again. Cagalli gripped her alarm clock hard. It read 8:25. _AH! I'm going to be late! School starts at 8:30! _Cagalli thought quickly and flew to her closet and whipped out her school uniform. **(A/N: Um... if you want to imagine what it looks like, imagine a salior-type school uniform that has a rare blue collar and a lemonade color bow/ribbon. XD While a guy has a white top with collar, short-sleaved and black pants)** Cagalli quickly got changed and ran downstairs and locked her apartment and shot out of the building. "Awww... man! Why is it always me! I can't be late again!" Cagalli moaned as she ran faster and her hair flew behind her.

As she saw the school gate was closing, she ran faster. "Stop! Hold the gate, please!" Cagalli yelled and the gate holders smiled.

Cagalli passed through them and quickly said her thanks, next she went down to her locker, quickly grabbed her things and went to her drama class. Luckily she made it just before the teacher came in. "H-hey guys..." said Cagalli, out of breath.

Lacus smiled. "Hi Cagalli, you made it on time," she said cheerfully.

Dearka yawned. "Barely," he said while Cagalli shot him an playful evil glare.

Cagalli looked around the stage. All of her friends were there except Mirillia and Sai. _Oh well, at least everyone else I've made friends with is here_. Cagalli thought.

As the teacher came in and introduced herself as Mrs.Gladys. She had medium brown hair like Mirillia. Cagalli swallowed. Mrs. Gladys looked strict. Not like the other teachers she met are more playful. But then again, who knows, maybe Mrs. Gladys would be cool. Looks can be decieving. Actually Mrs. Gladys turned out to be okay. Their first task was to be assigned into groups that were to be given a role to play. In Cagalli's group, there was a girl named Stellar Loussier, a boy named Shinn Asuka, a red head girl with pigtails named Meyrin and surprisingly, Athrun. They all introduced themselves and Cagalli remembered Meyrin from yesterday who was with an older girl and Mia. Yet Meyrin didn't seem too bad and looked quite shy. While the others were discussing their role which was someone being kidnapped and needed to be rescued. **(A/N: Okay, a little sappy, but I couldn't think of anything anime sweatdrop)** Everyone was discussing on what they wanted to be while Cagalli noticed that Meyrin hasn't said anything. "Hey, Meyrin, what do you want to be?" Cagalli asked as she went over to the red-headed girl.

Meyrin shrugged. "Anything is fine with me," she said.

Meyrin had a cheerful tone and Cagalli smiled. Meyrin was more like Lacus than Mia was. In the end, everyone just drew straws. Shinn was the kidnapper. "Okay, whatever, this is boring anyway," he said coolly and shrugged.

Stellar got the role of being kidnapper #2. "Alright, as long as it's not too bad," she said and twirled several times in front of Shinn who was mesmorized by her movements.

Meyrin got the role of being the girl who got kidnapped while Cagalli and Athrun were her friends who were to help rescue her. "Um... could I be someone else? I don't think I like to be kidnapped," said Meyrin quietly.

Cagalli shrugged. "You can switch with me, it doesn't matter who I am," she said and Meyrin gladly swapped parts.

They started to reherse on what lines they would play. When the bell rang for lunch, Cagalli was starving. _AUGH! I can't believe I forgot my lunch! And my lunch money too! And I didn't even have breakfast! _Cagalli thought furiously. Kira and all of her friends said that they had to go to a student council meeting since Mirillia was Head President, so she was all alone. _Oh well, I'll go over to the woods behind the school, since it's always quiet there,_ Cagalli decided and went to the forest. When she got there, she noticed someone was already there and decided to go back when a familar voice stopped her. "Hey, Cagalli!"

Cagalli turned around to get a better look and saw that it was Athrun. "Oh hi," said Cagalli.

Athrun beckoned her over. "You can sit here. No one is sitting here. Kira and the others are busy," he offered.

Cagalli smiled and went over. "Where's your lunch?" asked Athrun as he saw that she was empty-handed.

Cagalli reddened suddenly. "I er.. forgot my lunch," she said quietly.

Athrun shrugged and smiled. "Here, I'll share with you," he offered while Cagalli shook her head.

"Nah, you won't have enough to eat," said Cagalli as she refused.

Athrun shrugged again. "Doesn't matter, I packed lots. You'll get hungry by the begining of 2nd Period," he said.

Cagalli hesitated. "Um... are you su--" she asked, but got interrupted when Athrun stuck some terriyaki into her mouth.

Cagalli closed her mouth and chewed. _Hey! It's good! Wow..._ Cagalli thought.

Athrun laughed. "It's good huh? Well of course, I made it," he boasted.

Cagalli blushed. _I thought out loud? _Athrun gave her the lunch box. "C'mon, go ahead. You're hungry, I can tell," he said.

Cagalli blushed but took it. "T-thanks," she said and started to eat.

"Don't mention it. Just tell me if it's good," said Athrun as he grinned while Cagalli wolfed down the delicious lunch.

"It's fantastic! You cook really well," said Cagalli as she finished quickly.

Athrun grinned. "You didn't think guys could cook could you?" he said teasingly.

Cagalli reddened. "N-no w-way!" she stammered, but she really didn't think he could cook that well. Well she couldn't even cook.

Athrun grinned and said nothing. After a short pause, he spoke. "So what do you think of Tokyo?" he asked Cagalli.

Cagalli turned to him. "It's really big. Bigger than Nagoya. And it's quite busy too," she said as the autumn wind blew past her.

Athrun faced her and smiled. His clear emerald eyes showed warmth. Cagalli felt her cheeks reddened but Athrun got up. "C'mon, let's go. The 2nd Period will start soon," he said.

Cagalli nodded and got up as well. "Okay, anyway, thanks for the great lunch. You saved me from starvation for the next 2 hours," she said.

Athrun nodded and smiled. The two of them walked together back to school. Somewhere near by. Three pairs of eyes looked on jealously. "I don't like that Athha. She's trailing after Athrun like a stray cat!" hissed Mia.

"Yeah, I don't like her either," said another girl with red-pinkish hair.

"But Luna! Cagalli's really nice to me. She's a good person. She isn't trailing after Athrun like a stray cat. They're just friends," protested Meyrin.

Lunamaria glared at her younger sister. "Athha just wants you to think that way. I bet she's just being nice on the outside so that Athrun will like her, but is she nice on the inside too? I don't think so," she said.

Mia glared evilly at Cagalli and she smiled with Athrun. "I'll get you, Athha. I mean it," she promised.

**A/N: Oooo.. suspense. Actually, to tell you the truth, I have no idea what I'll do to Cagalli. Sorry to Mia/Luna fans out there. They seem evil now, but I promise I'll make them good people later on in the story. And Meyrin, well, she's not evil, just confused.**


	4. Memories of the Past and Revenge

**A/N: Hey everyone! I discovered something: the line! Oh wow.. yep, it's sad to be me. XD**

**Disclaimer: Nope, me don't own anyone. Just this plot.**

**

* * *

Chapter 4: Memories of the past and Revenge**

At the end of the day, after all of her classes, Cagalli packed up her stuff and headed home. Upon going her way home, she saw a familiar brown-haired boy. "Hey, Kira! What's up?" she called out loudly as she ran up to him.

Kira turned around. "Oh hey Cagalli. Oh nothing, I'm just going home. You?" he asked, a bit surprised to see her.

Cagalli was surprised. No one she knew lived around here. "Yeah I'm going home too. I live in the Nikon Apartment. Where is your home?" she asked.

Kira's eyes widened a bit. "Oh really? Cool. My house is on your block. It's just on the end of the corner. But I never see you walk to school," he said.

Cagalli shrugged and reddened slightly. "Er... that's because I'm usually late," she mumbled in embarassedment.

Kira grinned. "Oh, I see. You haven't changed much. I'm still the early one," he said, remembering their childhood days.

Flashback

_"Kira! Wait up!" a ten-year old Cagalli called out, running out of her house._

_Kira, who was her best friend and neighbour waited for her at the end of the street. "Oh Cags, you're so slow," he teased._

_Cagalli caught up, out of breath and shot him a death glare. "Well sorry! Wasn't my fault that my mom was fussing over my clothes," she said._

_Kira rolled his eyes and grinned. "Ah, you'll never change, you're so un-ladylike. No guy will ever like you," he said lazily as they walked on._

_Cagalli stopped and glared at her best friend. "Excuse me? Is that a challenge?" she challenged him._

_Kira looked behind him. "What if it is, Cags?" he said._

_Cagalli pouted and then quickly recovered. "Okay, well I bet that in 6 years, you'll think different!" she said._

_"You're on!" said Kira and they raced each other to elementary school._

End of Flashback

_But you did change a little. You're the one who stole my heart. _Kira thought as Cagalli stared him in the face.

"Earth to Kira! You there?" she asked as she tapped him lightly on his forehead.

Kira shook his head. "Huh? Sorry? Did you say something?" he asked, reddening a little.

Cagalli sighed. "Nevermind. Anyway, this is my apartment. I'll see you tomorrow, Kira," she said and went inside the building.

Now it was Kira's turn to sigh. _How am I supposed to tell you? Do you even have any feelings for me? Oh Cags, it would have been better if those old days hadn't changed._ Kira thought sadly and walked on.

As Cagalli entered her home, she dumped everything on the ground and fell onto her bed. She then laid on her side and looked at her family photo. It showed Baby Cagalli, with her joyful mother and it was ripped in half where her father was supposed to be. Cagalli had ripped the other half to pieces at the age of 6. Wherever or whoever he was, deep deep inside of Cagalli, interior of her proud barrier, Cagalli longed to be with her father. Her mother never resembled her and always said that Cagalli's traits all came from her father. Cagalli sighed and slept a short catnap.

Next day as Cagalli walked to school, she met Mirillia at their lockers. "Hey Mir! What's up?" Cagalli asked.

Mirillia shrugged. "Nothing. English as second period today with Mr. La Flaga," she said.

Cagalli turned to her friend. "Mr. La Flaga? But isn't he our home room teacher?" she asked, slightly confused.

Mirillia shrugged again. "Yeah, but he also teaches English as a part time job. Mr. La Flaga is really funny, but I hate English. So much grammar!" she groaned.

Cagalli smiled. "Funny, I sort of like English. For me, I find it to be easy," she said.

Mirillia grinned. "Oh well, bell's going to ring soon. I'll meet you at lunch," she said and went off to her Math class.

Cagalli got her stuff and went to her Humanities class. Soon after Humanities was over and it was quite boring, Cagalli met up with Mirillia as promised. Together, they joined everyone else. Soon their table was quite full. A pink-headed girl came up and tapped Cagallli on the shoulder. "Hi Miss Athha. Do you have a minute?" she asked.

Cagalli reconized her as Mia Campbell, the girl who had tripped her on the other day. "Um... maybe later? I'm busy eating lunch," she said.

Mia gave a false smile. "Oh c'mon, it won't take long," she said in a sweet tone.

Cagalli gave up and told her friends she'll be right back. As Mia led Cagalli into the hallway, Cagalli saw Meyrin and another pink-red-haired girl. Meyrin flashed her a smile, but Cagalli could see that it was a guilty/sad smile. She was confused. Why would Meyrin feel guilty? Mia cleared her throat and Cagalli turned to her. "Miss. Athha, I'm so sorry about the other day during Phys Ed. I didn't know what had came over me," said Mia as she crossed her fingers behind her back.

_You so totally deserved that, you evil bitch. _Mia thought evilly, but gave Cagalli an apologetic look.

Cagalli shrugged. "Eh, it's alright," she said, but inside her mind, she remembered how much it had hurt when she tried to stand up.

Mia smiled sweetly and presented a small box. "Here, I made these chocolates at home and I wanted you to have some as an apology," she said and opened the small box, revealing several milk chocolate truffles.

"Um... okay then," said Cagalli and took one.

Cagalli bit into it and savoured it's sweetness. It really was sweet, but Cagalli decided to be nice. "Uh, thanks Mia. They're great," she said, trying hard not to cough as the sweet sugar went down her throat.

Mia grinned. "Thank you. Have another one," she said, offering the box.

Cagalli shook her head. "Nah, that's okay. I rather not spoil my lunch, since it's not finished yet," she said.

Mia's grin never faltered. "No, I insist! C'mon, I can't finish these myself," she said and Cagalli gave in to take another one.

"Thanks, Mia," said Cagalli and excused herself.

_Hmm.. maybe I should forgive her afterall, I'm not a person to hold grudges. She's a pretty good cook, except for the sugar overload. I'll try to be nicer from now on._ Cagalli thought as she rejoined the others.

Meanwhile in the hallway, Mia smirked evilly. _Ha! You fell for it! See if Athrun will care for you now..._ Lunamaria and Meyrin joined her. "What did you give her?" asked Lunamaria.

Mia grinned widely. "Oh, some potion that is supposed to make you gag until you faint. I mixed it into her chocolate, making it extra sweet. But since she probably has a sweet tooth, she didn't notice it," she bragged.

Lunamaria smiled. Meyrin looked guiltly down onto the school floor. "That's brillant, Mia," said Lunamaria and the two of them laughed while Meyrin battled the thoughts in her head.

_I like Athrun as much as my sister and Mia, but this is so wrong! Cagalli's a really nice person. But I couldn't tell that to them since they'll never believe me. However, I knew what Mia was planning and fortunately was able to switch the potions. Unfortuantely, I heard someone coming this way and accidently spilled the two. Now I don't know what the effect will be. Oh! I hope Cagalli will be okay! _Meyrin thought sadly. "Hey sis, you're awfully quiet today. What's up?" asked Lunamaria as she looked at her younger sister with concern.

Meyrin shook her head lightly. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking if I got my answers right for our test yesterday," she said.

Lunamaria rolled her eyes. "Oh that, well you're probably going to recieve an A more or less," she said.

Meyrin smiled weakly, but still felt worried for her friend.

* * *

**A/N: I just want to say thanks so much to you guys! You guys made me confident as a new fic writer! And of course, thanks to everyone who stopped by to read my fic! It means a lot! Arigato!**

**Here are the following people I would really like to thank:**

**MetalPunkHottie**

**Cari-Akira**

**XiAoZRayZz**

**AsuCaga Freak**

**Angelite Phoenix**

**Oh and for those who are wondering about some stuff: I'm just introducing the story now in my first few chapters. After Athrun and Cagalli sorta get together more and confess their feelings, I'll do the "accident" to Athrun, but don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems. But shhh.. I can't tell you anymore. XD And for the umm drama play thing, I'll do that in the sixth chapter.**


	5. Major Surprise

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by to read my updates! I appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own any of the characters of Gundam Seed or Destiny. I just own this plot.**

**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Major Surprise**

Just before the bell, Meyrin ran up to Cagalli. "H-hey Cagalli!" Meyrin started nervously.

Cagalli turned and smiled at her friend. "Hey Mey! What's up?" she asked.

Meyrin's gaze dropped to the floor. _I have to tell her what Mia and I did! Sorry you guys if you think I'm betraying you by telling Cagalli, but it wasn't right. And I don't know the side effects of the two combined chemicals. _"Uh.. Cagalli. About today when Mi-" she got interrupted as the bell rang.

"Oh I'm sorry, we got to go before Mr. La Flaga comes for English. We'll talk later. C'mon!" said Cagalli and dragged Meyrin to English.

Cagalli got accompanied with Kira and Athrun so Meyrin didn't get a chance to tell her."Oh boy, I hope we don't do too much. I suck at English grammar," said Kira.

Athrun smiled. "But Kira, you're supposed to be really smart. What happened to you?" he teased.

Kira narrowed his eyes in a playful manner. "Whatever Zala. Let's see how you do today," he challenged.

Cagalli rubbed her head. It felt really wierd. Athrun noticed as the expression on Cagalli's head changed. "Hey Cagalli, you okay?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded. It was gone now. "Yeah, I'm okay, just had a wierd feeling," she said and they moved to their seats.

Mr. La Flaga came in and started talking about grammar, which pretty much everyone groaned. Mr. La Flaga pretended to look hurt. "Aw! C'mon everyone! Grammar isn't too bad," he said while everyone stared at him through half closed eyes.

Mr. La Flaga retreated a step and held up his hands. "Okay okay! Grammar is bad but not too bad. Jeez... But it'll be easy," he said jokingly.

Cagalli rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long afternoon. While Mr. La Flaga started his speech about nouns, verbs, adverbs etc, Cagalli felt that wierd feeling in her head again. She rubbed her head once again. It was more intense now. It felt as if her head was frying up. A small groan escaped her. Mirillia, who sat beside her, noticed. "Hey, Cagalli! You okay? You don't look so good," she said.

Cagalli turned to Mirillia and gave a weak smile. "Yeah, Mir. Thanks, but I'm okay," she lied, not wanting to worry her friend.

Elsewhere in the class, Mia and Lunamaria snickered. Meyrin gulped. Cagalli rubbed her head. _This is so wierd... am I sick? My vision is blurring and my head hurts. Everyone is spinning..._ and she fell off her seat. Mirillia stood up. "Cagalli!" she cried.

Kira and Athrun stood up too to see what was wrong. Mr. La Flaga stopped talking and immediately rushed to Cagalli's aid. So did Athrun and Kira. "Hey, Miss Athha!" Mr. La Flaga called, but there was no response.

Meanwhile, Mia was shocked. _Miss Athha was supposed to barf, but she didn't... Hey what happened?_ Meyrin stared in horror. _Oh no! This is all my fault! Cagalli!_ she thought. Athrun bent down and saw Cagalli's flushed face and felt her forehead. "Mr. La Flaga! She's burning up!" he said.

"Everyone back to their seats! Mr. Zala, could you bring her down to the nurse's office?" said Mr. La Flaga.

Athrun nodded and carried Cagalli bridal style. Kira and Mirillia exchanged worried looks. Meyrin laid her head on her hands and started to sob quietly. Lunamaria and Mia exchanged surprised looks. Meanwhile with Athrun and Cagalli, Cagalli moaned quietly. "Hey, hold on! Almost there, Cagalli," said Athrun as he soothed her.

Cagalli couldn't reply. _Is this Athrun? Yes, that is his voice. It must be Athrun. But how did I faint?_ was her thoughts. Athrun quickly laid her down on the medical bed and the nurse looked after her. "Please, get an ice pack," said the nurse and Athrun quickly went down to the fridge and got out an ice pack for Cagalli.

Cagalli gasped as she felt the coldness against her warm body. "Miss, are you conscious?" asked the Nurse.

Cagalli mumbled weakily but sat up with Athrun's help. "Here, swallow this," said the nurse as she handed Cagalli a pill and a glass of water.

Cagalli did what she said and her eyes widened in surprise. "Ummmfff!" she made out and ran to the bathroom that was in the office.

"Good, that'll empty her stomach," said the nurse while Athrun looked at her in surprise.

"What does that mean?" he asked with concern.

The nurse turned to him. "It seems that your friend has swallowed some unknown chemicals and it messed up her digestive system. It went up to her head and her brain sensed something wrong and put on a fever to bring out the chemicals that were put into her. And thus she fainted. Now I gave her a digestive pill and now she's emptying her stomach. But the question is, how did she get those chemicals into her in the first place?" she explained.

Athrun shrugged. "I don't know. Could the water be contaminated?" he suggested.

The nurse shrugged. "Maybe, it's hard to say for sure. These were mixed chemicals. Oh look, hrtr she comes now," she said and Cagalli came back with a green face.

"Gross..." she moaned and fell asleep.

Athrun patted her lightly on her head. "Well she better get something to eat when she wakes up or she'll have zero energy," suggested the nurse.

Athrun nodded. "I'll bring something for her after class. Could you look after her until then?" he asked.

The nurse nodded. "Okay,"

Athrun bent down and whispered quietly to Cagalli, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon," he said and left for English class.

Cagalli soon regained her sonsciousness after Athrun had left and moaned as she sat up. "Oh, I see you're awake. That's good news," said a gentle voice.

Cagalli's gaze was first unfocused, since she still felt dizzy but eventually landed on the speaker. It was the school nurse. "Oh... how did I get here? What happened to me and why does my head feel like it's going to split open?" Cagalli asked, obviously not remembering anything.

The nurse turned to her with an amused look. "Oh well, a kind gentleman with midnight-blue hair and green eyes brought you here after you had a fever and fainted. I found out that the cause of this is because some mixed unknown chemicals have gotten into you. Tell me, did you eat or drink anything unusual today?" questionned the nurse.

Cagalli shook her head, trying to remember what had happened but blushed when she heard that Athrun had brought her here. "Well then, how about anything too sweet, too salty or too bitter?" asked the nurse.

Cagalli remembered her lunch which was a sandwich and that was pretty normal tasting. Then she went over to the time Mia offered her over-sweet chocolates. "Well I had some chocolate truffles that Miss Campbell gave me. They were sugar loaded," she said, as she scratched her head.

The nurse shrugged. "Maybe. But fortuantely, it didn't cause too much harm. I gave you a pill earlier to empty your stomach and it worked," she said.

Cagalli nodded. That would explain why she felt hungry. "Well I suggest you should lie down and rest a little since you're probably a little light-headed," said the nurse.

Cagalli nodded and went back to sleep. After school, Cagalli saw Athrun coming in along with Kira and Mirillia. "Hey Cagalli! You feeling better?" asked Mirillia.

Cagalli shrugged. "I've been better. But I'm so hungry!" she complained.

Athrun gave her a small smile and brought out a lunch box, home made. "Here, I always pack extra for lunch. You can have this one. Sorry if it's a little cold," he said as he handed her a small box.

Cagalli took it eagerly and said her thanks. Then as always, she wolfed it all down. "Wow, terrific! Food tastes so wonderful when you're starving," she said.

Athrun gave her an amused look. "Are you saying that my lunch wasn't as good if you weren't as hungry?" he demanded playfully.

Cagalli shook her head in embarassement. "N-no! I just meant that I was starving and that it's really good!" she stammered.

Mirillia and Kira laughed. "Of course. I'm sorry, but there is an important meeting we have to attend to," said Mirillia apologetically.

Cagalli smiled at her friends. "Oh that's okay. You guys go on. I'll be fine," she said.

Kira and Mirillia said their goodbyes and left. Now it was just Athrun and Cagalli. "So you feeling a lot better?" he asked her.

Cagalli nodded and smiled. "Yep! Thanks to you, Athrun," she said.

Athrun raised his hand and put it on the back of his head in embarassement. Even though Cagalli was too busy talking to notice, Athrun had blushed slightly. But he shook it off though. "Hey Cagalli, so are you having that big race tomorrow in Phys Ed for girls?" he asked.

Cagalli stopped talking and nodded. "Yep! The top three get to go to the district to compete. Then the top ten in the district get to go to Korea to race," she said. "I hope I can do well enough to go to the district,"

Athrun smiled. "You'll do great, I mean it," he said, realizing too late that those words had came out of his mouth.

Cagalli turned to face him and smiled a cute smile. "Gee, thanks Athrun. I guess I better go home now. It's getting late," she said and got up.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," said Athrun and they both left school.

Cagalli got home, feeling warm, yet really happy. _I guess I really am falling for Athrun. I wonder if he feels the same..._

* * *

**A/N: Wow, 12 reviews! Thanks so much everyone! It may not seem much, but for my first fic, it means everything to me. teary eye **

**Cagalli: evil glare Why do I have to be sick?**

**Me: Sorry, but that was needed for the story, so that Athrun will pay closer to you. I'll try to make a larger moment with you and Athrun in the next chapter.**

**Cagalli: Really! Oh thanks! I'll look forward to it, whatever it may be. I really hope he likes me back!**


	6. Moments of Uncertainty

**A/N: Hi! I've decided that if I didn't have too much schoolwork, I'll do at least one chapter per day. How does that sound? I don't know how long this fic will be. I guess we'll just have to see. But I'll try to make it at least 1000 words per page. **

**Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own any of the characters of Gundam Seed or Destiny.

* * *

**

**Chapter 6: Moments of uncertainty**

During drama, Cagalli and her group, which consisted of Stellar, Shinn, Meyrin and Athrun practiced heir roles. It went like this: Cagalli was talking on her cell phone with Meyrin while she went home. But she wasn't looking where she was going and went into a dark alleyway by accident. When suddenly out of no where, she was pulled into the shadows by two pairs of hands. Cagalli dropped her cell phone and on the other line, Meyrin heard a cry for help. Meyrin, who felt worried for her friend called Athrun. Athrun, who was good with mechanics traced where Cagalli called from and went to find her. Meanwhile, Cagalli was in a hideout near the place where she was abducted. She found out that she was going to be for ransom when all of a sudden, Athrun and Meyrin show up and Athrun beats everyone up. **(A/N: Okay, I have to admit, that was really lame, but oh well. It isn't a large part of the story)** "Well, I guess that's it. We're showing it next time we have drama right?" asked Cagalli.

Stellar nodded. "Yep. Great job everyone! I'll see you next class!" she said as everyone left for lunch.

Athrun ran up to Cagalli before she left. "Meet me on the hill next to the track," he whispered.

Cagalli nodded and blushed slightly. She ran out onto the hill with her lunch, yet there was still no Athrun to be seen. _Why did he tell me to meet him out here? Oh well, I'll just keep waiting. _Today she was going to try out. If she could make it to the top 3, then she could go to the districts. And if she did well there, she could go to Korea, with fees paid. As Cagalli smiled, she saw Meyrin walk towards her looking glum. "Hey Mey! What's with the look?" called Cagalli.

Meyrin looked at Cagalli through sad eyes and sat down next to her. "Cagalli, about your sickness yesterday, it was my doing! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen!" she yelled through tears.

Cagalli was shocked. "What? That was you? But how!" she demanded.

"It was an accident! I swear! I didn't mean to harm you!" said Meyrin as she sobbed.

Cagalli looked at her. She could tell that Meyrin was telling the truth. "Okay, I believe you, but what happened?" she said gently.

Meyrin looked at Cagalli. "I c-can't, if I d-do, they'll be in trouble," she said miserably.

Cagalli held onto Meyrin's shoulders with both of her hands. "Meyrin, just tell me. I promise I won't get mad," she said.

Meyrin sniffled. "Promise?" she asked as if she was a little child.

Cagalli nodded and gave an understanding smile. "I promise," she said calmly.

Meyrin gulped. "It all started when Mia got mad at you for being so close with Athrun. She wanted to make a fool out of you and make chocolates. Inside the chocolates, she prepared a formula that would make you barf so much that you faint. When I overheard her bragging about her plan, I went over to her house and took the formula away. But when I heard someone was coming, I accidently knocked some other liquid over and thus mixing with the original formula. It's all my fault! I'm so sorry, Cagalli! Please don't be mad at Mia!" she said.

Cagalli thought in amazement. _Wow, Mia sure must hate me! But Meyrin was just trying to save me, not trying to do any damage. I guess I'll forgive her, but I'll be wary of Mia and Lunamaria for now on. _Cagalli thought. "Don't worry, I don't blame you. I don't blame anyone. It was just an accident. Actually, I should thank you. It was a lot better than it could've been. So thank you, Meyrin," she said.

Meyrin looked up at Cagalli and gave a weak smile. "Oh thank you so much Cagalli! You're such a forgiving person! I don't deserve a friend like you," she said.

Cagalli smiled. "Nah, no problem. You're a good friend too. Tell me, did you get in trouble with your sister and Mia?" she said.

Meyrin's smile faded instantly. "Yes, they said they never wanted to see me again," she said quietly.

Cagalli's face turned into a sympathetic one. Mia and Lunamaria were Meyrin's only friends. "Things will get better, Meyrin. In the mean time you can hang with me," she offered.

Meyrin smiled weakly. "I hope so. Thank you Cagalli," she said.

Cagalli nodded. "Hey Mey, you're trying out for the track too aren't you?" she said.

Meyrin frowned. "Don't tell me you're in it too. I don't want to fight with you," she said quietly.

Cagalli shook her head. "Even if we're opponents, we can still be friends. Just good luck and do your best. Don't worry if you beat me. I'll still be your friend," she said.

Meyrin gave a really happy smile. "Oh thank you! Just promise me you'll make it to the finals" she said and hugged Cagalli.

Cagalli grinned. "Okay okay already. Enough with the thanks. I promise. You better go on and get ready now," she said.

Meyrin nodded and left. As Cagalli sat there, thinking. Athrun passed by and sat down. "Hey, you're late," she said.

Athrun gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I had trouble getting here," he said.

Cagalli turned to face him. "So why did you want to meet me out here?" she asked with curiosity.

Athrun blushed and turned away. Cagalli raised her eyebrow. _Did he just blush? No! That's impossible!_ "W-well, I-i..." he started out.

He turned his gaze to the grass below them. "I-i r-really w-wanted to s-say.." he said but got interrupted as a loud whistle got their attention.

Cagalli stood up immediately. "AH! That's the whistle for the track! Sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.

Athrun blushed. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to say good luck!" he said.

Cagalli turned to him and smiled a big one. "Thanks, Athrun. I'll catch you later!" she said and ran back into the school to get changed.

Athrun stood there, feeling like a complete idiot. _Why can't I do this? Damn! Another perfect chance has gone by! I've done many things that seemed impossible before, yet I can't even say that I like her! Augh! Why does this have to be so hard? Damnit!_ He cursed mentally before going lower down the hill to watch them race.

Meanwhile with Cagalli: Cagalli stood there in red shorts and a pale green t-shirt. The other girls that had shown up were Meyrin, Lunamaria, Fllay and some other people. Cagalli saw Meyrin look her way and gave her a smile. Cagalli flashed a thumbs up and began to warm up. Soon the Mrs. Ramius came as the coach for the girls' team. "Alright! Has everyone who signed up, here?" she asked.

Everyone nodded. "Okay, I'll split you down into two groups. The first group will race each other and the first three that makes it around the track three times will get to advance to the next round. Then it'll be the same for the second group. Finally, we'll have 6 members left. Out of those 6, we'll have our top three and an extra," she explained.

Everyone nodded again and Mrs. Ramius split them down. In Cagalli's eyes, Lunamaria was on her group while Meyrin was in the other group. _Okay, that's good. Meyrin will have a chance to get in._ Cagalli thought as the other group was called out first. Meyrin, Fllay and the others lined up along the track. "On your marks, get set, go!" Mrs. Ramius called as she pressed her stopwatch.

The girls all ran quickly at first. Then around the second lap they slowly bailed. _C'mon, Meyrin!_ Cagalli thought. "Go Meyrin! You can do it!" Cagalli called out loudly.

Meyrin smiled and ran faster. But there was still someone in the lead. After three rounds, Meyrin, Fllay and another girl got selected as the winners for their round. The other girls moped, but stayed to see who was going to win. Then Mrs. Ramius called up the second group. Cagalli was alert. _Okay! I can do this! I promised Meyrin that I'll be going to the finals, _she thought and got into position. Lunamaria was next to her and smirked. "On your marks, get set, GO!" she said and they all took off down the track.

Lunamaria was really fast. Faster than Cagalli had expected. Lunamaria was in the lead with Cagalli in second. The same effects with the first group happened. Some bailed out after the first lap. "Go Cagalli!" Meyrin cheered.

Cagalli ran slightly faster. _C'mon!_ she thought as she was only a few paces behind Lunamaria. _Only a lap and a half to go!_ thought Cagalli as she felt the strain on her legs. As Athrun watched, he hoped that Cagalli would be able to make it. Athrun mentally slapped himself. _C'mon you fool, cheer for Cagalli! It's not that hard. _Cagalli was slowly dragging back to third place by another blonde with short wavy hair. "C'mon, Cagalli! You can do it!" Meyrin shouted.

Lunamaria turned at her sister's voice. _Shut up you fool! You're supposed to be cheering for me, not her, you traitor!_ she thought but deep inside, she felt hurt that she could no longer count on her sister to be by her. Cagalli weakily managed to pass the blonde named Asagi. _Only half a lap to go! Gotta be Lunamaria!_ Cagalli thought strongly. _I can't lose to her! _With new determination, Cagalli went into a speed burst and past Lunamaria. Lunamaria stared at Cagalli in surprise. _What! _she thought as Cagalli finished first.

Meyrin cheered. "Yay! Cagalli! That was awesome! You made it!" she yelled.

Cagalli smiled. She came in first place while Lunamaria got second. The blonde girl known as Asagi got third. Mrs. Ramius blew her whistle loudly. "Okay everyone. Great! I'll now allow you all to have a 10 minute break before continuing," she said and everyone relaxed.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Wow, I think this is my longest chapter so far... I dunno XD Well I just wanted to thank you all for cheering me on as I update. Especially you reviewers! It makes me feel really happy and the long school day seems shorter. Thanks everyone! You rock!


	7. GO!

**A/N: Hi! Not much to say just wanted to ask how you everyone is doing? Wow... 900 hits XD. Small number for you, big number for me. D**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own any character from Gundam Seed or Destiny. I feel like a broken record player. "N-no n-no n-no." XD**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 7: GO!**

For the ten minute break from the track, Cagalli went over to Athrun, who sat on the hill, waiting for her. "Hey, Cagalli! Great job on passing the first round!" he said.

Cagalli sat down beside him and smiled. "Thanks! But I'm not out of the clearing just yet. There's still one more round to go," she said.

Athrun smiled. This is waht he liked about her. She was confident, yet not over confident. Cagalli looked over to see Meyrin who was feeling alone. "Hey, Meyrin! Come join us!" Cagalli yelled.

Meyrin, hearing her name, looked up and gave a grateful smile. She went over and sat next to Gagalli. "Hey Cagalli, Athrun. Congrats on passing," she said.

Cagalli smiled. "Thanks, congrats to you too," she said.

"Hey Meyrin, how are you doing?" Athrun asked.

Meryin shrugged. "Okay, I guess," she replied unncertainly.

Cagalli turned to her friend. "So have you spoken to your sister yet?" she questionned.

Meyrin's smile faded and she shook her head sadly. "No... Luna's mad at me; she thinks I betrayed her," she said quietly.

Athrun laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her an understanding smile. "Hey, don't give up just yet. Things will look up, even though I don't know what you two are talking about and I'm not going to interfere," he said.

Meyrin smiled weakly. "Thanks, you guys," she said.

Meanwhile with Lunamaria and Mia. "Look at her, she's with Athha! And worse yet, Athha's with Athrun! How could they?" demanded Mia.

Lunamaria shrugged, feeling a bit uneasy. "Well I don't know. Should we forgive Mey? I mean she cares for everyone and was just looking out for Athha," she said.

Mia shook her head. "No way! Meyrin cheered for Athha and not you. If I were you, I wouldn't forgive her," she advised.

Lunamaria hung her head. "Okay, if you say so, Mia," she said.

Mrs. Ramius suddenly blew the whistle, signaling that the break was over and the last round still was to be completed. "Oh! I guess break's over. C'mon, Mey!" said Cagalli and the two of them left Athrun and went down to the track.

_There's six of us left. Meyrin, Lunamaria, Asagi, Mayura, Fllay and me. I gotta get at least third place or higher. Being a spare is okay too. That means I have about 67 of getting in. That's a pretty good chance. _Cagalli thought as she got onto the track. "Okay, now two of you will be eliminated. The first person to reach the finishline will be our first place runner and so on and on. Take your places," said Mrs. Ramius.

Cagalli got into place and got ready. "On your marks, get set... GO!" the coach yelled and Cagalli took off like a gazelle.

She was in second place while Lunamaria was ahead of her. _Just take your time. But don't get left behind,_ Cagalli thought as she sprinted lightly.

Meyrin was behind her and was showing impressive progress. Fllay was last but was catching up. "C'mon, Luna! Keep going!" Mia yelled from the sidelines.

Lunamaria and Cagalli ran faster at the end of the first lap. _Okay, I'm doing good. Gotta get there!_ she thought and ran faster. Athrun watched from the hill and kept wondering if he should cheer for her. _Should I? What happens if I distract her? That would be terrible. I don't think I should..._ he thought as Cagalli finished the second lap. _Okay! One more lap to go! _Cagalli thought. She felt tired and sore in her legs. She wasn't used to running so much. The girl, Asagi caught up and passed her. _Agh! C'mon, Cagalli! You can't let them beat you! _Cagalli thought furiously. Athrun watched as Cagalli was slowing down. _Ergh, well it won't matter anymore if she's dragged behind by me. _Athrun decided and stood up. "You can do it Cagalli!" Athrun shouted loudly.

Hearing his voice calling her, gave her immense strength and energy. _It's like he's giving me his energy to keep running! I have to do it!_ Cagalli thought and sprinted at an incredible speed she never knew she had. She passed Asagi and was a few paces behind Lunamaria. _Oh no! She caught up to me! Why couldn't Athrun cheer me on? Why did it have to be her? _Lunamaria thought in amazement. Cagalli panted hard and kept going. There were only a few paces left and Cagalli went all out. Soon the race was over and Cagalli had made first place. Cagalli collasped onto all fours and panted like crazy. Athrun ran up to her. "You did it, Cagalli!" he yelled happily.

Cagalli smiled. Oh yeah, she was tired all right, but it felt good. Mrs. Ramius announced that Cagalli was their first runner while Lunamaria was their second. Asagi Caldwell was third. "Uh... spare is a close one... and it is..." said Mrs. Ramius as she had to choose between two runners.

Meyrin closed her eyes and gripped her hand into a tight fist. _C'mon! Cagalli kept her promise, and I have no intention of breaking mine. Please let me go with her! Please, please!_ Meyrin thought. Mrs. Ramius turned to her audience. "It was tight, but in the end, Meyrin gets spare," she said with a smile.

Meyrin jumped high and high-fived Cagalli. "Oh my gosh! YES! YES! Thank you!!!!!" she exclaimed as she hopped into several circles around them.

Fllay scowled while Mayura shrugged. "Congratulations to everyone. You should all keep practicing for the district. Once again, congratulations!" she said and left.

Meyrin hugged Cagalli. "I'm so happy! I get to go with you, Cagalli!" she exclaimed happily.

Cagalli hugged her back. "Yes, me too. We'll make it to Korea. You can bet on it!" she said.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry it's so short, but I'm running later for my karate class. XD I promise to add a longer chapter next time. And for everyone who asks me how I'm able to update so quickly is that I'm only in grade 8, so there isn't much homework. Anyway, I wanted to thank my reviewers:**

**Cari-Akira**

**AsuCaga Freak**

**Jade Valentine**

**zXia0RayZz**

**Angelite Phoenix**

**MetalPunkHottie**

**soen**

**Thanks a lot you guys! And to those who review my every update, you guys make my day! XD**


	8. Confession

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in the past few days. It's the weekends over here and I've sorta been busy with homework and all. And I still have homework, but I finished chapter 8, finally! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own anyone from Gundam Seed or Destiny. Do I really have to keep repeating myself?

* * *

**

Chapter 8: Confession

For the next few days, school was pretty normal. One day while Cagalli was walking home, she saw Lunamaria practicing hard on the track. _Wow, she practices everyday. Must be hard work. Maybe she isn't so bad afterall. _Cagalli thought and went home. At her apartment, Cagalli got a home call. "Hello?" she answered.

The voice hesitated for a moment before answering. "Hi Cagalli, it's me," said a familiar voice.

Cagalli blushed for a moment. It was Athrun's voice. "O-oh, hi, what's up?" she asked in surprise.

"Uh, I was just wondering, are you doing anything for tomorrow? I mean it is the weekends," said Athrun in a stammer.

Cagalli blinked. "Er.. n-no. Why?" she asked.

Athrun, who was on the other line, blushed. "Uh, I was just wondering if you'd like to hang with me tomorrow," he answered.

Cagalli felt her heart beat faster. "Okay, what time," she asked trying to keep calm.

"Well, how about 11 in the morning? We'll go out to eat lunch. I'll pick you up," Athrun replied.

"Okay, sounds like fun. See you tomorrow!" said Cagalli.

"Bye," said Athrun and they both hung up.

Cagalli smiled happily and did a quiet cheer. _Oh my god! I'll be with Athrun tomorrow! Does he have feelings for me or did he just want to hang out with me as friends? Oh well, maybe I'll ask him tomorrow..._ she thought. While on the other side, Athrun jumped up and yelled, "Yeah!"

He was one step closer to revealing his feelings for her. It was hard to get the words out at first, but it became easier as he relaxed.

As the next day came quickly, Cagalli quickly got ready and went outside to wait for Athrun. At 11 am precisely, a sporty black car came by. "Hey Cagalli," said a familiar voice and Cagalli was amazed.

"H-hi," Cagalli stammered in surprise.

Athrun looked totally cool. He was wearing a green t-shirt with black pants and a black jacket **(A/N: okay, okay, it's from Gundam Seed Destiny, but I can't stop thinking how awesome he looks in that outfit. He beats Yuuna like 1 mill. times anyday! No offense Yuuna Fans if there's any XD).** Athrun took off his shades and it reveal his warm emerald eyes. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded and went onto the passenger seat. "So where will we be having lunch?" she asked.

Athrun looked at her and smiled. "You'll see. It's a really good place I always go to," he said and continued to drive.

Soon, they arrived at Shota's River, a really fancy place for dining. "Shota's River? Dude, that is a really expensive place, y'know!" Cagalli exclaimed as she stared at the restaurant.

Athrun shrugged. "My father knows the manager, so we get it cheaper," he said. "C'mon, let's go in,"

They both went in and asked for a place for two. "This way," said a boy with green hair.

He took them to a table and gave them their menus. "Thanks, Nicol," said Athrun and the boy bowed.

"No problem, Athrun," he said and left.

Cagalli stared at Athrun in amazement. "You know him?" she asked.

Athrun grinned. "Yeah, we went to elementary together. But he transferred into another school for high school," he said.

Cagalli and Athrun looked through the menus and selected their food. "I'll have Lunch Box Combo A and a strawberry milkshake to go with that," said Cagalli.

Nicol smiled. He looked nice. "Okay, Miss. What do you want, Athrun?" he asked.

Athrun placed his menu down. "I'll go with teriyaki. Beef? And I'll have some coffee," he said.

**(A/N: Notice how Athrun's choices seem more mature? XD) **"Very well. Please wait for your order to come," said Nicol and he took the menus away.

Soon the food came and the two ate silently. Throughout the meal, Cagalli got the hiccups and hiccuped between bites. Athrun, who was trying to stiffle his laughter, failed. He burst out loud laughing and then choked on his coffee. Cagallli shot him an evil glare. "HEY! -hic Are you LAUGHING -hic at me!" she demanded.

That only made Athrun laugh/choke even more. Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Pull -hic yourself -hic together!" she ordered and the laughter died down.

Athrun wiped his eyes. "Hah... that was too funny," he said as he calmed down somewhat.

Cagalli glared at the midnight blue-haired boy. "Whatever, I don't find it funny -hic," she muttered.

Eventually, her hiccups died down and their lunch was finished. Athrun offered to pay the bill, but Cagalli refused. In the end, both of them paid for their lunches. "So where do you want to go next?" he asked.

Cagalli shrugged. "Doesn't matter, anywhere is fine with me," she said.

"How about a movie? I hear that Forbidden Destiny is playing," said Athrun. **(A/N: Just a random name I needed to use for the name of the movie. It isn't a big part of the story).**

Cagalli shrugged again. "Sure, I doesn't matter what I watch," she said and they went to the theater for several hours.

When they came back out, it was already dark outside. Athrun took Cagalli to the park. Together, they sat down on a bench. "Jeez, it's getting colder. But what can you expect? It is almost October already," Cagalli said, as she shivered. **(A/N: I'm trying to speed the story up, so let's just say it starts snowing in November).**

Athrun smiled and took off his jacket. "Here," he said placing his jacket around Cagalli's shoulders.

Cagalli was surprised. "But aren't you cold? Afterall, you're also just wearing a t-shirt," she said.

Athrun shook his head, but maintained his ever-peaceful smile. "Nah, I'm okay. Is it better?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded and blushed. "Yes. T-thanks, Athrun," she stammered gratefully.

Athrun smiled. _I think this is a perfect moment to tell her how I feel..._ thought Athrun. He cleared his throat. "Um Cagalli, can I tell you something?" he asked, choosing his words carefully.

Cagalli looked surprised, but nodded. "Sure, you can tell me anything," she said.

Athrun blushed crimson. Seeing Athrun blush made Cagalli nervous. "W-well, I wanted to tell you for sometime that I..." he started.

Cagalli nodded. "G-go on," she urged wondering if Athrun was going to say what she was going to say to him.

Athrun gulped. "Cagalli, I love you! I loved you since the first day we met. To me you're a really special person and different from all of the other girls I know! Will you be my girlfriend?" he blurted out.

* * *

**A/N: Yes! I finally got Athrun to confess! Now what will Cagalli think? Will she accept him or not? Find out in the next chapter! **


	9. Everything

****

A/N: Sorry everyone that it took so long for me to update. Recently I had a mental writer's block and couldn't come up with anything. I still have it, so please excuse my update if it isn't as good as my other chapters. I'm trying to speed things along, since this is already my ninth chapter. I still don't know how long this story will be, since I'm no where near my summary line.

Disclaimer: No, I don't want to repeat myself for every since chapter. I DO NOT own any of the characters from Gundam Seed or Destiny, thank you.

**

* * *

Chapter 9: Everything**

_Athrun gulped. "Cagalli, I love you! I loved you since the first day we met. To me you're a really special person and different from all of the other girls I know! Will you be my girlfriend?" he blurted out._

Cagalli stared, wide-eyed. _Is he saying what I think he is saying? Yes! It is true..._ Cagalli blushed heavily. "Yes... I love you too. I just wasn't sure if you had felt that way too," she said quietly.

To Athrun, those were the sweetest words anyone could ever hear. He gave her a big hug and Cagalli once again felt safe in those warm strong arms of his. She snuggled up to him in the cold climate, savoring the warmth.

Several days later while Cagalli was practicing for the upcoming event, the district track, she noticed that Lunamaria came aswell. Lunamaria turned away, seeing that someone else was here today. _Oh c'mon, Cagalli. She isn't that bad, is she? You gotta make peace with her sometime! Here's your chance,_ Cagalli thought and gave a smile. "Hey, Lunamaria! Come join me!" she called out.

Lunamaria turned her head, hearing her name and hesitated. "C'mon, please? I feel much better with another person here," said Cagalli.

Lunamaria was tempted to run over, but stopped. _I shouldn't, Mia wouldn't like it if I was with Cagalli. _She thought. Lunamaria shook her head, but gave a small smile. "Nah, you go on and practice, I always hog the track, so you should have your own private time. Maybe some other time?" she said.

Cagalli smiled. "Okay, I'll see yeah then," she said and went to pace herself.

_Luna wasn't that bad. Actually she seemed pretty nice. But I wonder how Meyrin's doing... Has Lunamaria forgiven her?_ Cagalli felt worried for her friend and kept on jogging.

After a while, Cagalli stopped practicing and got her stuff. She stopped by the basketball court and saw some boys playing. She looked closer and saw Athrun and Kira playing with some other guys. Athrun caught her eye and smiled. Then he got the ball and slammed it in. _Show-off,_ thought Cagalli, but she smiled and sat down. After a while, Athrun sat beside her. "Hey," he said.

Cagalli looked up. "Oh hi," she said.

"Want to walk home together?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded, "Okay," she said and the two walked out of the school grounds. "Hey, Cagalli, you doing anything this Sunday?" Athrun asked.

Cagalli nodded. "Well, yeah. I was supposed to clean my apartment, but that can wait," she said. "What did you have in mind?"

Athrun shrugged. "Well, I can help you clean your apartment if you like," he said.

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? But it'll be boring," she said.

Athrun grinned and went closer to her. "But it won't be if you're around," he whispered in her ear, making Cagalli blush in the girliest way possible.

Cagalli shrugged. "Okay, just come to room #310 at around 11 in the morning," she said. "Just don't blame me if you get covered in dust,"

Athrun smiled. "Okay, see you on Sunday," he said and they parted ways.

Sunday came quickly. Cagalli got up early and quickly got dressed. Athrun was usually early and Cagalli knew he would be. She looked to the living room. There were many boxes that contained her things. Over the past month of September, Cagalli never had much time due to many homework and many tests to study for. But yesterday, Cagalli spent the while day working so she would be fine today. As she finished her breakfast, Cagalli heard a knock on her door. "It's me," said a cool voice.

Cagalli smiled and let him in. "Hey, good morning, Athrun," she said.

Athrun smiled. "Good mor-wha!" he said as he looked at her crowded living room.

Cagalli blushed. "Uh heh heh, yeah... I told you it was disorganized," she said.

Athrun gave her an amused smile. "Well, okay then. Let's get started with those boxes out there," he said and they went over to the mountain of boxes.

Luckily for them, they were all labeled. Cagalli already got her clothes sorted out in her room, so that was already done. Athrun organized the kitchen; putting the dishes away, storing the cups in the cabinet etc. Cagalli worked on the living room. It used to be plain, but now it looked much better. By the time everything was finished, it was already late into the night. Cagalli saw Athrun out of the building. "Oh, Athrun, thank you soo much! I would have never been able to do it all on my own!" Cagalli exclaimed gratefully.

Athrun smiled. "No problem. Actually that was pretty fun. I like to hang with you more often," he said and gave her a peck on her forehead.

Cagalli blushed as Athrun wrapped his arms around her, but she accepted it and hugged him back.

_Next few weeks: _The district in Japan held place. Cagalli and her team made first place due to serious practice. Cagalli caught up to Lunamaria."Hey Luna, great job out there, we wouldn't have done it without you," she said.

Lunamaria smiled. "Thanks, you did great yourself as well," she said.

Cagalli blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Thanks, I see that you're always practicing alone. Maybe next time, we could practice together?" she said.

Lunamaria nodded. "Okay, next time then. I'll see you later, Cagalli," she said and left.

_Athha isn't too bad. I'll call her Cagalli instead of Athha. I don't care anymore if Mia gets mad. She doesn't control my life; I do._ Lunamaria thought and smiled as she walked away.

Cagalli went home and got a phone call as she reached her apartment. "Hello?" she answered.

"Cagalli? It's me, how did you do?" asked a familar voice.

Cagalli smiled. She was exhausted. "Hey, Athrun. Yeah my team got first place. In a month, we're going to Korea!" she said happily.

"Really! That's great! I'm so happy for you. You doing anything tonight?" he asked.

Cagalli sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm too tired to do anything," she said. "And I got about 3 tests tomorrow, which I haven't studied at all,"

"Oh I see then. Don't overwork yourself," said Athrun with concern.

Cagalli smiled sadly. "Okay, I won't. I have to clean the house too," she said.

"Again? What happened to my fabulous work on it?" asked Athrun.

Cagalli giggled. "Well it's still there, just a little messy. Don't worry, I'll get it all under control," she said.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then, bye," said Athrun and hung up.

"Bye," said Cagalli and hung up aswell.

_Well I gotta get this cleaned up,_ she thought as she picked up all of her clothes and dumped them into the washing machine. Next she did a major study and stayed up all night. _Agh, I'm so tired... but NO! I can't fall asleep! My mother expects me to study well and get good grades.And that is what I'm going to do. She wanted me to get a better education, so she agreed to let me go to Tokyo. Can't let her down now..._ Cagalli thought and slapped herself so that she'd be awake.

* * *

A/N: So sorry if Cagalli and the others seem to be out of character for my fic. I had this story planned for something else, but in the end, I decided that I would go with Athrun and Cagalli, since they were my favorite couple in anime. Thanks for reading my update!


	10. Friends and Crushes

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's another update. I made it mostly about Kira and Cagalli, since they too needed sometime together. The next chapter will be slightly more interesting, I promise. Sorry, if it seems a bit slow...**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Seed or Destiny, I would get A's in my English writing class. VV

* * *

**

Chapter 10: Friends and Crushes

The next day came and Cagalli woke up to find her lamp was still on and that she was resting on her arm ontop of a science textbook. Cagalli sleepily reached over to her watch. Then she yawned widely. Her eyes came back to the watch. "OH NO! I'm gonna be late!!!!" Cagalli exclaimed and rushed to get dressed.

Next, Cagalli grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it down as she ran out of her apartment. Cagalli ran as fast as she could and suddenly her books dropped. Cagalli bent down to pick them up and did not notice a speeding car come. "Look out!" yelled a familar voice and pushed her out of the way.

Cagalli got knocked over to the other side of the street. She saw a familar brown-haired boy over her. "Kira?" said Cagalli in surprise.

"What were you thinking?! Always check if the roads are clear!" he yelled.

Cagalli blushed in embarrassement. "S-sorry," she said as she got up.

Kira sighed. "It's okay. You really should be looking out more often. What would have happened if I wasn't here?" he said.

Cagalli smiled. "You're always beside me, so it wouldn't have happened anyway," she said.

_Flashback: 10 year old Cagalli was running happily on a large field chasing a squirrel while Kira, at the same age was under a tree, reading a book. Cagalli ran and ran and then while the squirrel ran faster, so did Cagalli. At the last second, the squirrel turned and Cagalli was unable to stop. She stopped on the edge and was trying to maintain her balance so that she would not fall into a rushing river. But Cagalli, being Cagalli was not able to balance. As she fell over, her hand had shot up and fortunately was able to grab a large boulder that stuck out of the water. Cagalli's head had gone under and had to hold her breath. She came up gasping. "Kira! Help!!!!" she exclaimed._

_Kira, heard his name, looked up to find that Cagalli was no longer there. He quickly stood up. "Cags! Where are you!" he yelled._

_Cagalli griped the boulder harder. "I'm in the river! Hurry!" she cried out._

_Kira ran over, but he was much more carefuller than Cagalli was. He ran and saw that Cagalli was weakly holding onto a boulder while the force of the water was pushing her. "Hold on, Cags! I'll get mother!" he shouted and ran to find his mom._

_"Hurry! My hands are slipping!" Cagalli cried, hanging with all her might._

_Kira ran towards his mom. "Mother! Cagalli fell into the river and she's holding onto a slippery boulder! We gotta help her!" he cried._

_His mother nodded and ran over to where Cagalli was. "Hold on! We'll get you!" she called._

_Kira looked around helplessly. Then Kira, who was intelligent as ever, grabbed a tree vine. "Mother! Tie this end to the tree while I go get Cagalli!" he yelled as he tied the other end to his waist._

_His mother looked at him worriedly. "But Kira, the force of the river is too strong! You'll never make it!" she exclaimed._

_Kira had a very determined look. "But I have to. For Cagalli's sake," he argued._

_Finally his mom gave in and tied the rope to the nearest tree. Kira jumped into the river and gasped as the force threatened to carry him away. And it was freezing cold too. "H-hold on, Cagalli," he gasped._

_Cagalli felt her hands go numb. "AHH!" she cried as her arms gave in._

_As the river swept her along, Kira swam upwards. Being a great swimmer, he was able to swim towards the other end where Cagalli was being dragged. "Cagalli! Grab my hand!" Kira cried out and thrust his arm out._

_Cagalli reached over and grabbed hold of it. "H-hold on!" Kira yelled as he had to double his strength to withstand being drawn away by the force of the river._

_Kira's mom took this as her cue and pulled the rope. It was hard but in the end, she managed to bring them both back to shore. Both Kira and Cagalli got out, shivering like mad. "Don't ever scare me like that, Cagalli!" Kira yelled while Cagalli whimpered._

_"I-i'm s-so sorry!" she sobbed as Kira's mom comforted her._

_Kira's mad expression faded. No one could ever stay mad at Cagalli for long. She felt like a younger sister that needed an older brother. Kira sighed. "It's okay. Just don't run of ever again, okay?" he said as he placed a hand on her wet hair._

_Cagalli nodded and managed a weak smile. "Okay!" she said._

_End of flashback. _16-year old Kira got up and handed Cagalli her things. "Here, c'mon let's go, the bell is about to ring," he said.

Cagalli nodded and took her things. "Kira?" she said quietly.

Kira turned towards her. "Yeah?" he answered.

"Thanks, for saving my neck so many times," she said.

"No problem. If you ever need me, call me and I'll be there beside you," said Kira and together they ran towards the school. Luckily they both made it just on time.

Afterschool, Cagalli and her team was practicing for the upcoming track meet in Korea. Athrun and Kira sat watching. As everyone stretched, Cagalli realized that they needed a timer. "Hey Athrun!" Cagalli called.

Athrun, hearing his name went over. "We need a timer, would you mine being our timer?" Cagalli asked as she took a stop watch out of her pocket.

Athrun took it. "Sure," he said.

Cagalli flashed him a grateful smile and got back onto the track. Kira looked down enviously. He wished that Cagalli had asked him to take it. "Okay, I'll go first. Athrun you record my time and then Lunamaria will go. Just tell me my score and I'll note it down," said Cagalli, pointing to her binder which had all of their names on it.

"Okay, on three. One... two... THREE!" said Athrun and Cagalli took off.

She had to do three laps. Cagalli aced the first lap and went onto the second. _C'mon, I gotta get a good score. I got first place and I have to maintain it,_ she thought and continued to run. About halfway, her head started to hurt, but she shook it off and kept running until she finally finished. "S-so.. what's my time?" she asked.

Athrun looked amazed. "Wow, a minute and forty-six seconds," he said.

Cagalli frowned. She wanted it to go under a minute. Athrun saw her frown. "H-hey! That's really good," he said and Cagalli smiled.

She noted it down and the others took their turns. Lunamaria got a minute and fifty-nine seconds and Asagi got two minutes and fourteen seconds. Meyrin noted them all down and took her turn which got two minutes and twenty seven seconds. "Okay, great job every-," said Cagalli as she saw blurred colours.

The next thing she knew was that she was back at her apartment. Cagalli sat up in her bed. "Wha-?" she said.

A brown-haired boy turned to her. "Hi, Cagalli. You feeling better now?" asked Kira.

"Ugh, Kira? What happened to me?" Cagalli asked, ignoring his question.

Kira blinked. "You fainted. Athrun wanted to take you back here, but he couldn't since he was the captain of the soccer team. He wanted to take you back first and see if you're okay, but I said I could do it and that he should go. So how are you feeling?" he asked.

Cagalli shrugged. "Okay I guess," she yawned tiredly.

Kira fixed her a glance. "You stayed up all night again, didn't you?" he asked.

Cagalli looked away. "Maybe..." she said.

Kira sighed. "Don't lie to me, I know you did. How many times have I told you not to stay up the whole night stressing out. I mean last time, that I was there, you ended up at the hospital after going several nights without rest," he said.

Cagalli said nothing and turned to face him. "Promise me, promise me that you won't do that ever again. You scared the hell out of me," he said fiercely.

Cagalli blinked. "Why?" she asked.

Kira blushed. "Um, well we've been friends for a while and you feel more of a sister than a friend, so I feel responsible for looking after you," he lied hoping that he face wasn't too flushed.

Cagalli smiled tiredly. "I just feel tired. I want to just sleep for a while," she said as she lied down.

Kira nodded. "Okay, you do that. I'll go," he said and started to walk out of her room.

"Kira!" Cagalli called and Kira turned.

"Yeah? You need something?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head and kept her smile. "Thanks," she said.

Kira smiled. "No problem. Anytime, I'll always be watching over you," he said and went out of the building.

Cagalli sighed happily and went back to sleep. She dreamt about the two boys that were most important to her.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah yeah I know... Cagalli is totally out of character, but let's just say what she really wants is for someone that'll protect her and be with her always. Please tell me what you think and who Cagalli should be with. And Kira's last name in this story is not Yamato. It's Hibiki, just to let you know.**


	11. A Gown to Wear?

**A/N: Yay! My 11th chapter! Wow, this story is sure gonna be long and endless...**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Seed/ Destiny, I'd make Athrun and Cagalli be together in the end of GSD, not have them apart.****

* * *

**

Chapter 11: A gown to wear?

Over the month of October, Cagalli's relationship with Athrun grew and their bond became almost insperable. Their friends were all happy for them even Kira, who felt saddened to see Cagalli with another man. During school, Lacus ran up to them. "Hey, Cagalli, Athrun! I'm hosting a party at my mansion on Saturday. Would you two like to come?" she invited.

Cagalli turned to Athrun. His eyes danced. "Yes, we'd like to," she said and took Lacus's invitation.

Lacus beamed. "Yay! It's at 7pm. And it's a dance party," she said.

Cagalli gulped. She was horrible at dancing. Athrun noticed her worried expression. "Hey, don't worry. I don't care if you can't dance well," he said and Cagalli gave a weak smile.

Lacus shrugged. "You don't have to dance if you really don't want to. You can just hang out," she said.

Cagalli sighed. "Alright then," she said.

Lacus smiled. "Okay, I'll see you two later," she said and left.

Cagalli turned to Athrun. "Will you be picking me up on Saturday?" she asked.

Athrun smiled. "Of course," he said.

When Cagalli got home, her phone rang. She sighed and went over to answer. "Hello?" she said.

"Cagalli?" came feminine voice

"Mirillia? What's up?" Cagalli asked, surprised to find her friend calling her.

"Um... I was just wondering. Are you going to Lacus's dance party?" asked Mirillia on the other line.

"Yeah. Are you?" asked Cagalli.

"Yes. Who are you going with? I mean as a partner?" asked Mirillia.

Cagalli blushed. "A-athrun," she answered.

From the other line, Cagalli could hear Mirillia squeal with delight. "Oh my! Really?! Our Cagalli with Athrun? Wow! What are you going to wear?" she said.

Cagalli stared at the phone. _Geez, I just said I was going with Athrun. What was wrong with that?_ "I guess my red t-shirt and cargo pants," she answered.

"Cagalli!" said Mirillia accusingly.

"What?! What's wrong with my choice of clothing?!" Cagalli demanded.

Mirillia sighed. "C'mon, you want to look nice for Athrun on Saturday, right?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Cagalli shrugged. "I guess so. What should I do then?" she asked her friend.

Mirillia grinned. "Well tomorrow is a non-school day, so how about you and me go shopping for clothes?" she suggested.

Cagalli made a face. "Are you kidding?! I hate clothes shopping!" she protested.

Mirillia rolled her eyes, but smiled. Afterall, Cagalli was being Cagalli. "C'mon, it won't be as bad as you think and you want Athrun to think you're pretty right?" she said, pulling her trumpt card.

Cagalli sighed and gave in. "Alright, alright. Where will we meet?" she asked.

"I'll ask my mom to pick you up at your apartment and then she'll drop us off at the mall around 10 in the morning," said Mirillia.

Cagalli gave a weak smile. "Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow," she said and hung up.

_The next day:_ Cagalli pulled on her normal clothes and got everything ready. When she got outside, she saw Mirillia waving to her in her mom's car. Cagalli ran over and Mirillia opened the door and invited her in. Cagalli climbed in and they took off. Soon, Mirillia's mom dropped them off at a gigantic mall. "Thanks, Mrs. Hawwe," said Cagalli and got out.

"Yeah, thanks, mom!" said Mirillia and her mother smiled at her and left.

Together they entered the big mall. "So who are YOU going with to the dance?" Cagalli asked, half smirking.

Mirillia blushed tomato. "D-dearka," she answered.

Cagalli's eyes widened. "Really? Wow... what do you see in him?" she asked, making Mirillia's face light up like cherry.

"Um... w-well, we grew up together and he always makes me laugh. Dearka's really nice, after you get to know him and yesterday, he asked me if I wanted to go with him and I said yes," Mirillia explained.

Cagalli grinned. "That's great," she said as they browsed through some shops.

Mirillia turned to Cagalli. "Y'know, I always thought you'd end up with Kira," she said honestly.

Cagalli faced Mirillia in surprise. "Really? We've been friends for a while in Nagoya. I've just thought Kira as just a brother, more than a friend, since he always looks after me. But then his dad got a new job here in Tokyo and they had to move here. Funny thing is that I've never seen Kira's dad before. Sure, Kira was my next door neighbour and everything, but his dad usually wasn't home when I went over. I always saw his mom there," she said.

Mirillia shrugged. "I've known Kira for six years now and I haven't seen his dad much either. But I saw a family photo of them together. He looks somewhat sincere. But I think Kira doesn't look at all like his dad. He looks more like his mom," she said.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, the brown hair and the violet eyes," she said.

Mirillia gazed to her right. "Hey, it's La Mode! I heard that this is a great place to shop for clothes. Let's go in!" she said and dragged Cagalli with her. **(A/N: _La Mode_ in french is fashion)**

Mirillia was right. Everything in La Mode was really with fashion and at an expensive price too. There were countless dresses, gowns etc. Mirillia gaped at everything. Cagalli, herself couldn't help but be amazed. Mirillia dragged Cagalli up to the counter. "Hello, how may I help you?" asked the girl who seemed to be around 20 years old.

"Hey there. My friend and I are going to a dance party tomorrow and I was wondering if you'd have anything in our sizes. And yet not too expensive," said Mirillia.

The girl nodded. "Yes, we have a section for gowns and dance dresses over here," she said, leading them to the back of the store.

Cagalli gasped. There were so many dresses in every colour. "Wow..." said Mirillia as she helped herself and selected a few.

Cagalli stood there as Mirillia got changed. "What do you think?" she asked as she wore a light pink gown.

Cagalli made a face. "Nah, pink doesn't suit you," she said.

Mirillia sighed and changed into another one. "What do you think of this one?" she asked as she wore a sky blue one.

Cagalli shook her head and Mirillia changed into another one. "Okay, I like this one. What do you think? Does it suit me?" she asked as she wore a lavender gown that wasn't too fancy or too simple. It was just in between.

Cagalli shrugged. "Yeah I like this one much better than those other ones, you picked," she said.

Mirillia smiled and changed back into her normal clothes. "Have you chosen a gown?" she asked Cagalli.

Cagalli shook her head and Mirillia chose a few for her. "Here, try these on. They're in your size," said Mirillia and Cagalli took them to go change.

Cagalli came out with an orange one. Mirillia shook her head. "Nope, too orangey," she said and Cagalli tried on another one.

After going through each and every gown in the section, Cagalli came upon a light green one **(A/N: It's the one in Gundam Seed episode 19 I think where Andrew Waltfeld made her wear. I like it, it's really simple yet pretty. It matches Cagalli prefectly).** "Yes! That one looks perfect on you!" Mirillia exclaimed and Cagalli took it.

Finally it was past lunch when they finished. _Who knew clothes shopping could be so boring? It took so much time too..._ Cagalli complained in her mind. "I'm hungry," she said.

Mirillia nodded. "Yeah me too. Let's go to the food court, shall we?" she said and the two of them agreed.

Cagalli ordered a burger while Mirillia stuck with sushi. As they sat down, a guy with purple hair came to them. He smoothed his hair and shot them a smile. "Hello, ladies. What brings you here?" he asked.

Cagalli eyed him. He was quite ugly. "Excuse me, but who are you?" she demanded.

The purple haired guy smiled at her. "Yuuna Roma Seylan, at your service," he said taking her hand and trying to kiss it.

But before he got a chance, Cagalli took her soft drink and threw it at his face. "H-hey!" he yelled in protest.

Mirillia stiffled her laughter as Yuuna was soaked. "Whoops, my hand slipped. I'm so sorry, sir," she said in sarcasm.

Yuuna smiled and kept his cool. "I'll forgive you if you go out with me miss," he said, flashing his sparkling white teeth.

Cagalli eyed him coldly. "No thank you," she said as she stood up.

"Awwww... why not?" Yuuna whined.

"Because I already like someone else and I don't even know you," she said. "C'mon, Mir, let's go,"

Yuuna grabbed her wrist. "But we go to the same school, Shinto High School!" he protested. "Pretty please? With sugar on top?"

Cagalli pulled her hand away and slapped Yuuna in the face. Yuuna whimpered and slid down like a wounded puppy. "I hate sweetness," Cagalli said quietly and Mirillia and her left the mall.

Soon, Mirillia's mom came and dropped Cagalli at her apartment. "Thanks, Mir, for the day, even though it was creepy meeting that wierdo," she said at the entrance of the building.

Mirillia shrugged. "No problem. Come over to my house before the party and I'll help you get everything ready," she said.

Cagalli shook her head. "I can't, Athrun said he'll pick me up here," she said.

Mirillia shrugged again. "Just ask him to come to my house to pick me up. It'll be worth it, after seeing you look splendid," she said.

Cagalli sighed. "Okay, I guess,"

* * *

**A/N: Yay! They're going to a party! w00t! Actually I have no idea how the next chapter is going to turn out... Xp Well I think this story will end up being over 30 chapters?! Should I stop at 20 and create a second story continuing this one? Anyway, thanks to all reviewers! Please review if you like this chapter! Arigato!**


	12. Falling Stars

**A/N: Hi! I'm getting closer to my summary plot! Huzzah! lols. School has been pretty normal. Just a lot of tests.. VV But hopefully I'll do fine on them.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Gundam Seed/Destiny... but I better keep on dreaming. Xp

* * *

Chapter 12: Falling Stars**

On Saturday night, the night of Lacus's party, Athrun agreed to pick Cagalli up at Mirillia's house at 6:30. Cagalli and Mirillia both changed into their gowns and both complimented on each other. "Wow, Cagalli! You look beautiful in that gown!" Mirillia exclaimed.

Cagalli blushed. She looked at herself in a mirror. She didn't think she looked beautiful. "Do you really think so? I don't..." she said.

Mirillia patted Cagalli's head. "Oh don't worry, Athrun will love it! Now about your hair..." she said as she gave an amused look.

Cagalli turned to Mirillia. "What about my hair!" she demanded.

Mirillia smiled. "Your eyes are really pretty. They have an aura in them. I think we should put your hair up so that your eyes won't be covered up by your hair," she said.

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Fine... Whatever, I don't care," she said as Mirillia took this opportunity to do Cagalli's hair.

In the end, Cagalli looked really great. Her bangs were lifted and placed down with a hairpin and you could see her eyes a lot better. Mirillia smiled, proud with her work and just let her hair be. Soon the bell rang and Mrs. Hawwe answered. "Mir! Cagalli! Your escorts are here!" she called loudly.

Cagalli felt her heart fasten. Mirillia saw the worried look on her friend's face. "Hey, don't sweat it! After all of my hard work, Athrun better like it or else!" she said.

Cagalli smiled weakily and silently thanked Mirillia. As they both descended the stairs. Cagalli saw both Athrun and Dearka. Athrun saw only Cagalli and how beautiful she looked. "W-wow, you look great, Cagalli!" Athrun exclaimed as his jaw dropped.

Mirillia giggled and Cagalli blushed. "T-thanks," she said.

Dearka went over to Mirillia and held up his arm. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Mirillia smiled and took his arm. They were led to Athrun's sport car. Athrun and Dearka sat in the front while Mirillia and Cagalli sat at the back. Dearka turned in his seat. "So Cagalli, have you been dancing before?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head. "N-no, I haven't," she said quietly.

Dearka looked surprised, but then gave her an amused look. "Go easy on Athrun now, we don't want him to get injured, now do we?" he teased.

Cagalli blushed. Even if she was in a gown, no one was going to bruise her pride. "HEY!" she yelled, making Athrun chuckle slightly, while driving.

Mirillia smiled. "Dearka! Stop teasing her. Well Cagalli, you don't have to dance if you don't want to," she said.

Cagalli faced her friend and smiled. "Yeah I know," she said.

Soon they arrived at Lacus's mansion. Her house was huge! _Wow... so big! I wish I had a house like that..._ Cagalli thought as Athrun went beside her.

"Ready to go?" he asked and Cagalli nodded.

Together they went in. Already, there were lots of people there chatting and dancing. Cagalli spotted Kira over with Lacus talking away. Mirillia and Dearka started to dance and they moved gracefully. "Would you like to dance with me?" asked Athrun as he held out his hand.

Cagalli blushed but took his hand. "Okay, easy now. Relax. I'm supposed to lead. One... two.. three... One... two.. three. Go with the rhythm," said Athrun as they moved along the floor.

Cagalli's heart pounded as she danced. She was worried that she would mess up. Athrun stopped moving and lifted her chin. "Stop looking at the ground, you. Look at me," he said.

Cagalli raised her eyes and felt as if she was caught in a trance. Athrun's emerald eyes mirrored her own, which showed happiness. "You're doing great. Would you like to stop?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded immediately. Being a first timer, she didn't want to dance for too long. "Hey Athrun!" someone called.

It turned out to be Yzak. Athrun turned to Cagalli. "I'll be right back. Do you mind?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head. This would be a good time to go and get some air. Athrun smiled and went over to Yzak. Cagalli sighed and walked outside. For November, it wasn't too cold, even though it was supposed to be. This night was a lot warmer than the other nights. Outside, it looked magical. The fountain lit up with lights and so did the yard. There were lights, so Cagalli wasn't afraid. She preferred outside than inside. She didn't like crowds either. It always made her nervous. A voice came through her thoughts. "Cagalli? You okay?"

Cagalli turned around to see Athrun. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't like crowds very much," she answered honestly.

Athrun smiled. "Okay. Would you like to walk?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded. "Sure," she said and they walked away from Lacus's Mansion.

The beach was near her house and the waves moved back and forth gracefully. Cagalli sighed. _This is such a calm night... The sky is so clear and the moon is so beautiful..._ She thought. Suddenly she saw a falling star. "Hey! A falling star! Shhh... make a wish!" said Athrun and closed his eyes.

Cagalli closed her eyes too. _I want to be with Athrun forever and ever..._ was her wish. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Athrun was looking at the sky. "The moon is so beautiful isn't it?" asked Cagalli.

Athrun smiled. "Yes, it is as beautiful as you are," he said and wrapped his arm around her.

"Cagalli, I love you," he said gently.

Cagalli blushed. "Oh Athrun, I love you too," she whispered as the gentle evening air brushed past them.

"Let's stay like this forever," said Athrun and gently the two of them kissed on the warm, gentle evening of November.

* * *

**A/N: Well what do you think? I know it isn't really romantic, but I'm not really into a relationship just yet... just bare with me... XD. Once again, thanks to all reviewers ans everyone who read my first chapter and kept on going. Arigato!**


	13. First Snow

************

A/N: Yeah! My thirteenth chapter! w00t! I never thought I would make it this far for my first fic. The fics I usually write, I don't show anyone else, but I'm glad I did for this fic. Usually by now, I would have stopped writing and completely do another fic, but I couldn't let those who like reading (if there is any) this fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or Destiny. If I did, then BOOYAH! But I don't so I'll just have to keep dreaming. XD

* * *

Chapter 13: The First Snow

The month of December quickly came and Cagalli's team prepared for the trip to Korea which was in a few days. Cagalli's friends all wished her good luck, all except for Athrun. "Cagalli, since this is your last night in Japan for the month, would you like to spend you night with me?" he asked.

Of course Cagalli had said yes. She was already done packing and was looking forward to tomorrow. Athrun's watch had broken down and had to borrow Cagalli's green watch. "I'll give it back, I promise," Athrun had said.

Together they had spent the night with each other, enjoying their time together. Cagalli looked up. She had felt something soft and small land on her. "Hey look!" she exclaimed.

Several snow drops came down. "It's snowing!" Cagalli said.

Athrun turned to Cagalli and smiled. Cagalli looked delighted with the snow. "You sure like the snow, didn't you?" he said.

Cagalli nodded. "Yup! When we were little, Kira and I always played in the snow until midnight in Nagoya. We had a lot of snow there and we would always sculpt things. Of course, Kira's were always better," she said.

Athrun smiled. "It's getting late, but before you go, I want you to close your eyes and hold your hand out," he said.

Cagalli did what he said and soon felt a small object into her hands. "Okay, you can open your eyes now," said Athrun.

Cagalli did what he said and saw a small box. She opened it and saw an emerald-tear-shaped pendant. "Oh Athrun! It's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

Athrun grinned. "I take it you like it?" he said amused.

Cagalli nodded. "I love it! But wasn't it expensive though?" she asked.

Athrun shook his head. "Nothing is ever too expensive for the one I love. It is a good luck present from me, even though you'll do just fine in Korea," he said.

Cagalli nodded and slipped the small box into her pocket. "I'll be thinking of you," she said as she gave him a deep hug.

Athrun hugged her back. "And I you. I'll see you, Cagalli," he said and he watched her go home.

The next day, Cagalli got everything all ready. Her flight was at 8pm sharp. But she couldn't spend it with her friends. She needed to prepare her clothes, which she expected Korea had a lot of snow. By the time 7:30 came. Cagalli called a taxi and left for the airport. Athrun went outside to see that it was still snowing. He sighed. _Cagalli should be at the airport by now. What is the time?_ He looked at his wrist, which had Cagalli's watch. "Oh no! I forgot to give it back to her! Cagalli will need it in Korea!" He panicked.

Athrun ran quickly down streets. Then he saw a taxi on the other side of the street. Without looking, Athrun ran across the street. Unfortuantely, a car was speeding and saw Athrun at the last minute. Screeching on the slippery road, Athrun was knocked down unconscious. At the same moment, Cagalli and her teammates had boarded the plane and were on their way to Korea. Cagalli reached into her pocket to find that she forgot Athrun's pendant that he gave her. "Oh no! I didn't bring his pendant. I hope Athrun will forgive me," she said quietly as she looked outside her window.

On the day of the track in Korea, Cagalli and her teammates were all pumped up. As Cagalli was about to go out of the changeroom, she heard her cellphone ring. _Ah! It's Athrun!_ Cagalli thought happily and answered it.

"Cagalli?" said a familar voice.

Cagalli smile faded slightly. It wasn't Athrun. "Kira? What's up?" she asked.

Kira on the other line gulped. "C-cagalli... there was an accident..." he said shakily.

Cagalli stared in horror. "What accident? What happened?" she demanded.

Kira was heard sobbing. "A-a-athrun! H-he was -hic- brought down b-by a -hic- car!" he cried.

Cagalli's mouth dropped. _No! It can't be! He has to be okay! He just has to be! "WHAT! Is he okay?" she demanded as she tried to maintain her shocked actions._

Kira kept on sobbing. "Cagalli, please come home. Please..." he said.

Cagalli nodded. She swallowed. "Yes, Kira, I'll be home soon," she answered and she dropped her cellphone. _Please Athrun, please be okay!_ Cagalli ran out onto the track to find Meyrin and the others waiting for her. "I'm really sorry, but I cannot compete. There has been an accident and I have to go. Immediately! Please, Luna, take my place," she said rapidly.

Everyone stared at her. "Huh?" said Asagi. "What?" said Meyrin.

Lunamaria looked at Cagalli. "But Cagalli-" she said.

Cagalli felt her tears threaten, but was able to hold them in. She gave them the strongest smile she could muster. "Please... do this for me. Win it for me," she said.

Lunamaria nodded. "Okay, Cagalli. Will you be okay?" she said.

Cagalli nodded and quickly turned as she felt a tear drop down her cheek. She ran out of the stadium. Meyrin ran after her. "Cagalli! But why?!" she yelled.

Cagalli turned back. Meyrin was shocked to find Cagalli crying. "Cagalli?" she asked quietly.

"It's A-athrun... he's been severly injured. I-i must go back," said Cagalli as she sobbed quietly.

Meyrin nodded. She understood what that boy meant to her. She gave Cagalli a quick hug. "I understand. He'll be okay. He'll be okay," she whispered.

Cagalli nodded and quickly gave Meyrin a hug back and ran off to grab her stuff and then to the airport. The flight seemed forever and Cagalli looked out of her window. _Oh Athrun... you have to be okay!_ she thought. When she reached Tokyo, it was already late into the night. She took a taxi and told him to go to Nagura Hospital. _"Okay, Cagalli. We'll be at Nagura Hospital. Find us there," said Kira._

Cagalli paid the taxi driver and ran into the building. There she saw Kira, Lacus, Mirillia, Dearka and Yzak just sitting there. Cagalli felt her heart stop as she saw they were all crying. Even Yzak, the strongest of them all was trying not to cry. "A-athrun?" she said.

Kira, with tears running down his face, he looked at Cagalli. "Athrun's...dead... Damnit!" he cried.

* * *

A/N: Omigosh... Athrun is dead... gasp! It sorta made me a little sad writing about his death, afterall he is my fav character out of all of them. But no way am I spoiling the next chapter. D


	14. Alone

****

A/N: Hi everyone, I could see that a lot of people were upset by Athrun's death, but I can say one thing, is he really dead? And plz don't hate me... kill me... murder me etc. I'm just trying to make the story interesting... worried look

soen- Sorry! But trust me, there will still be Athrun x Cagalli

Inulover4eva- Okay, well here we have a bit more Kira and Cagalli moments, even though they're not that happy here... But things will get better for a while

AsuCaga Freak- I'm so sorry! Plz don't hate me for killing Athrun. It made me sad too, but is he dead?

Disclaimer: No I do not own GS or GSD. If I did, Athrun and Cagalli would be together totally! Sorry, to those who disagree.

* * *

Chapter 14: Alone

_"A-athrun's dead...damnit!" Kira had cried._

Cagalli slid down onto her knees. _No, he can't be dead. Not like that. He wouldn't, he couldn't. Athrun can't leave me after what we've been through..._Cagalli's vision blurred and passed out in gried and in shock.

When she woke up, she was no longer at the hospital; she was at a different house. Cagalli sat up, remembering what had happened. "Cagalli" said a familiar voice.

Cagalli turned her head to see Kira's worried face. He had stopped crying but he was still flushed. "Athrun...?" Cagalli questionned.

Kira looked away sadly. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly.

Cagalli sniffled and slid down onto the floor. Quietly, she wept alone in the darkness. Never before had she felt so lonely. Athrun was her happiness and now he was gone. Just like the father she never knew. Without saying anything, Kira sat on the floor and hugged Cagalli as she wept silently. "I-it's okay.. don't cry. He wouldn't want you to cry for him," he said as he felt his tears threaten.

Cagalli looked at Kira. "Oh.. Athrun.." she said quietly.

"He was my best friend and a good one too. I'll never forget him. Athrun will want you to go on, even if it meant going on without him. He loved you," said Kira finally.

Cagalli stopped crying and looked into Kira's violet eyes. She sighed quietly. It seemed impossible that Athrun would be gone. He was always there. However, she did not want to cry anymore. It seemed just wrong. "Can I see him?" she asked.

Kira looked down and sniffled. "They... his father took his body away..."he said as though he lost a part of himself.

Cagalli felt sad that she would never see him again. They haven't taken any pictures either. _The only pictures that I have of Athrun are those from my memories... Yet they seem so distant..._ she thought as Cagalli got up. Kira got up aswell. "Cagalli? Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded and gave a sad smile. "Yes. I'll go home now," she said and Kira lead her to the door.

Mrs. Hibiki stopped by. "Oh! Is that you Cagalli?" she asked, since she hasn't seen Cagalli for about 6 years.

Cagalli gave Mrs. Hibiki a small smile. "Hello, Mrs. Hibiki. It's good to see you," she said.

Mrs. Hibiki gave Cagalli a warm smile. Kira had the same smile and features as his mother. "Yes, it's good to see you too. You've grown up beautifully. Are you going so soon?" she asked.

Cagalli mustered her strength and gave her the strongest smile she could muster. "Thank you. Yes, I have to go now. I'll see you later," she said and left.

As she got outside, it was once again snowing like it had the day before the accident. Cagalli looked up. _Athrun... are you in heaven? Are you watching me?_ she thought as a snowflake slid down her face looking like a tear.

Cagalli wasn't sure if she was crying or if it was the snow that day. As she got home, Cagalli went into her room to find the pendant that Athrun had given her the day before yesterday. Looking at the green stone, Cagalli felt certain happiness. The green stone looked exactly like Athrun's eyes. Cagalli was startled for a minute as she thought she could hear Athrun laugh. _"Hey Cagalli! Wait up!" he would always say while laughing._

Cagalli felt another tear slide down her cheek. _Stop it, Cagalli! Stop crying... Athrun will be with you always..._she thought sadly as she placed the pendant back into her box. She didn't feel like she could wear it anymore. Especially after this had happened. Cagalli sighed and got into bed. What she dreamt was all about her time with Athrun. _"What is your favorite season, Cagalli?" Athrun had asked._

_"Winter," she had answered._

_Athrun had laughed and ruffled her hair. "Same here. Winter may seem harsh and cold, but that is only because you are alone. When you finally found someone you can be happy with, you won't feel the coldness," he had said._

_Cagalli had smiled and gave him a hug. But before her arms could go around him, Athrun seemed very distant. "Wait! Wait for me! Athrun!" she cried._

_Next thing she knew, she heard a car screech as it braked. Cagalli looked to find the boy she loved most lying there on the ground, bleeding..._

Cagalli woke up, panting. It was the replay of Athrun's death as Cagalli imagined it. She was completely sweaty and looked at her time. It read 7 am. Cagalli sighed, as she could no longer sleep for the present and went out to look out her window. It was snowing heavily. _Thank god this is a school holiday, I don't think I could go to school anyway..._ she thought sadly and she remembered his words about having winter being his favorite season. Cagalli sighed and decided that she would smile, since Athrun wouldn't want her to stop.

During the next few days, she met up with Kira and the others. Mirillia was shocked to find Cagalli with all smiles, after what had happened to Athrun. Everyone had noticed, but did not want to say anything to bring up the matter. Kira was the most worried, afterall, he had always loved Cagalli and kept a watchful eye on her, even though he knew Cagalli loved Athrun and not him. After the day was over, Kira phoned Mirillia. "Hello? This is Mirillia speaking," said a voice.

Kira sat down by his desk. "Mir? This is Kira..." he said.

"Kira? What's up?" asked Mirillia.

Kira looked down at his photo album which had many pictures of himself and his friends, including Athrun and Cagalli. He picked up the surprise shot he had taken of Athrun and Cagalli together, without letting them know about it. Kira sighed. "Well about today... did you noticed what I saw?" he asked.

Mirillia seemed to understand. "You mean about Cagalli?" she asked.

Kira nodded, forgetting that Mirillia couldn't see him. "Yes. She seemed to have completely gotten over Athrun. It's a bit strange don't you think?" he asked.

Mirillia sighed. It seems that she wasn't the only one worried about her friend. "Yes, I know. She was all smiles. Cagalli seems different. I mean after all that has happened, I can't blame her, but I mean she's different from before Athrun had died, she was never this happy..." she said.

Kira nodded. Mirillia felt the exact same feeling that he was feeling. "I don't think Cagalli is really happy as she seems to be. I think she doesn't want us to worry about her being alone. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow," he said.

"Okay, good luck. I hope she'll be okay," said Mirillia.

"So do I. I'll see you later. Bye," said Kira and they both hung up.

Kira looked down at his photos. Cagalli and Athrun seemed really happy together. One without the other seemed totally wrong, as if they were meant for each other. Kira used to be jealous of Athrun, afterall everyone loved Athrun. He was the type that could make you laugh even if you were sad and he would always make everyone feel better if they were having a bad day. Kira sighed and buried his head in his arms. He better call Cagalli now, while it was still fresh in his mind. He dialed Cagalli's cell. "Hello?" came a cheerful voice.

"Cagalli? This is Kira, I was wondering if I could come over tomorrow," he said.

"Sure! What time?" Cagalli replied, steadily.

"Um... how about 4 in the afternoon? I won't be staying for too long," said Kira.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then," said Cagalli and they both hung up.

The next day at four pm, Kira arrived as promised. Cagalli opened her door and welcomed him in. Kira was amazed. Everything was so tidied. This wasn't Cagalli. She was usually really messy and he should know. "It's cold outside huh?" said Cagalli.

It wasn't a question, more like a statement. "Yeah, the snow is coming down hard," he said.

Cagalli froze for a moment, but continued her smile. "You want a cup of coffee?" she asked.

Kira shrugged. "Okay," he said.

_This is wierd. Her reaction froze when I said the snow was coming down hard. And the Cagalli I know never drinks coffee. _He decided to look around. "Hey Cagalli, would you mind if I look at your stuff?" he asked.

"Go ahead!" came Cagalli's voice from the kitchen.

Kira browsed through her stuff and saw a small red box. He curiously opened it to reveal the pendant Athrun had given her. _Athrun must have given her this..._ Kira pushed his luck. "This pendant... where did you get it?" he asked.

Cagalli looked out from the kitchen with his cup of coffee. Instantly, she dropped it, having it smash onto the tile floor. Then she slid down onto her knees. Kira was shocked and immediately ran over. "Cagalli! You okay?" he asked, feeling more and more worried.

A few tears dropped onto the ground. "Cagalli?" said Kira quietly and he went down.

Cagalli looked up. Her face was stained with tears. "Oh Cagalli..." said Kira as he gave her a hug.

Cagalli was surprised but did not resist. She missed Athrun very much. She had liked everything about him. His warmth, his kindness, the softness of his voice, everything. "W-why... Why do you care?" she asked through her tears.

Kira let go of Cagalli and looked into her sad dull firey eyes. They lost their aura. "Because..." he said.

Cagalli sobbed but looked up. "Because what?!" she demanded angrily.

"Because I love you. I love you, Cagalli," said Kira.

Cagalli was so shocked that she stopped crying for a minute. "Kira?" she said quietly.

Kira shook his head. "But you loved him. You loved him much more than you loved me. I have always loved you, but you never noticed. I was slow with my feelings, but before I left I wanted to tell you how I felt about you, yet I was afraid that you would laugh at me," he said miserably.

_This is wrong, yet I feel good with my confession. If I can make her smile again, without having to force herself to, I'll be satisfied._ Kira went in and gave her a quick kiss. Cagalli sat there, staring at him with wide eyes. "K-kira... I had no idea..." she said.

Kira smiled. "I know. It's not your fault. Athrun will always be better, I guess. I'll see you later, Cagalli," he said and left her.

After a while, even if not in a day, Cagalli had realized that she should move on and stop grieving after Athrun. So she accepted to Kira and the two began a real relationship.

**Three Years Later: **Cagalli was now nineteen. Even though she never really completely got over Athrun, it was a lot easier to talk about him now. A bit has changed. Cagalli's mother, came to Tokyo and together, they moved into a larger house and out of Cagalli's apartment. Mirillia and Dearka were dating and Kira was now her boyfriend. They were planning on getting engaged. The day that is was supposed to happen, changed everything for both Cagalli's life and Kira's life. Cagalli was running late as usual **(A/N: Things never change. She's still late XD) **to get her dress. She felt happier than she did several years ago since the accident. Cagalli was soon going to be Kira's fiancé. On the way to getting a dress, Cagalli saw a familar person walking in a large crowd. _It couldn't be..._ But there was no mistaking it. It was him. Cagalli forgot about running late for her engagement and stopped there on the sidewalk. As that familar person turned around and laughed, Cagalli was sure. She ran after him. "Athrun!" she called.

* * *

A/N: Well there we go. I hope you all weren't too disappointed or mad at me! Athrun is alive! Or is he? Dun dun dun, sorry for the suspense... --; Next chapter will be up by tomorrow, I hope!


	15. Photography

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated yesterday as I promised. Had a lot of homework and stuff like that. VV Well here's another updated chapter and longer than ever!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any anime at all. ( But I wish i did. XD

* * *

**

Chapter 15: Photography

_Cagalli was soon going to be Kira's fiancé. On the way to getting a dress, Cagalli saw a familar person walking in a large crowd. It couldn't be... But there was no mistaking it. It was him. Cagalli forgot about running late for her engagement and stopped there on the sidewalk. As that familar person turned around and laughed, Cagalli was sure. She ran after him. "Athrun!" she called._

As the snow fell, Cagalli ran up to the boy. "Athrun!" she cried as the boy turned around and looked at her in surprise.

The boy had looked like Athrun, but as he turned, Cagalli felt her hopes die. This boy had black hair, and was slightly longer than the way Athrun wore his. But the most striking features was that his eyes were brown, not emerald like her beloved. He smiled. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person, Miss," he said.

Cagalli felt like crying. She had been so sure. This boy looked exactly like Athrun. Especially his voice and his laugh. No one could replace those. However, in his eyes, there were no recognizition of seeing Cagalli. She stepped back. "O-oh... I'm sorry. Good day," she said and ran away in tears.

The boy stood there watching her as she ran off. One of his friends gave him an odd look. "Who was that girl anyway, Takeshi?" he asked.

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. I never met her before," he said and they continued to talk.

Cagalli retreated to the park near her house. She sat on a wooden bench. As the snow fell around her, Cagalli sniffled. _I guess... Athrun really is dead... _Even though Athrun had died three years ago, Cagalli never really gave up hope that Athrun still might be alive. Okay, all of the research she did on the accident said that he died, but during the same week, his father, Patrick Zala had vanished aswell. What had happened? Cagalli didn't know too much about Patrick Zala only that he was the head of a really big company. Was he assasinated? There was no answer yet to that question. Cagalli sighed but got up.Thinking of Athrun triggered sad memories. She looked at her watch. It read 7 pm. "Oh no! I forgot all about the engagement! Kira's gonna be so mad!" Cagalli yelled.

She was late by several hours. The meeting with who Cagalli thought was Athrun totally made her forget. Cagalli ran to the restaurant where she was to meet them. However, she found that she couldn't find her mom or Kira. "Damnit..." she swore as she quickly ran home.

Cagalli knew she was in a heap of trouble. As she went inside her warm comfy home, a voice called out, "Cagalli! Where have you bee?! You missed the engagement party and I was so worried!"

Cagalli sighed, knowing it was her mother. Especially after losing their father, Iori Athha had always wondered if it was her fault that he left them and was therefore always panicky when Cagalli is missing. Cagalli took off her winder jacket and faced her mother, Mrs. Hibiki and Kira. Mr. Hibiki was absent as usual. Cagalli doubted sometimes if Kira even had a dad. She knew her face was flushed so she gave her sickest look. "I-i'm so s-sorry... I don't feel so well," she said as she held her head while moaning slightly.

Kira gave her a sympathetic look. "Oh, I guess I'll postpone the engagement for now. Your health is what is most important. Go rest, Cagalli," he said.

Cagalli gave him a grateful smile and wanted to be alone for the moment. Cagalli had always been good with lies, but this was partly ture. After having her hopes die like that made a large impact on her. _But even if Athrun were somehow alive, what would I do? Would I go back to him, or stay with Kira? I can't possibly abandon Kira..._ Thinking about it gave her a headache. Finally, she decided to go to sleep.

_About a week later,_ Cagalli forgot all about the man she ran into that she had mistaken for Athrun. She met up with Mirillia. "So, did you get in?" she asked.

A few months ago, Mirillia got Cagalli interested into photography, so Cagalli wanted to get into the photography school that Mirillia was in. She took several photos of different angles and sent them in to the directors of the school Mirillia attended. Just a fe days ago, Cagalli had got a letter that said they accepted her. "Yeah I did. So you're taking me there now right?" she asked as Mirillia drove her car.

**(A/N: Yeah let's just say Mir got her driver's license)** "Yeah, we'll be there soon," she replied.

After a few more minutes, they arrived at a large building. "Wow... it's huge!" Cagalli exclaimed.

Mir nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's sort of like regular school, except since I've been in it for a while now, I'm on a different floor and level than you are. But we can still meet during the breaks. You're on the 5th floor with Mr. Izuno. I had him for my first teacher too. He's really nice and only strice if you don't pay attention. If you do great, you'll be boosted up a level before the year ends. But if you're not so great, you'll remain at the first level until the year is over. You advance in levels every year unless you're totally horrible at it, but I think the photos you took were really good for a beginner, so you'll go fine," Mirillia explained. **(A/N: I don't really know too much about photography so I'm just guessing what the school would be like).**

Cagalli smiled. It was great to know someone here in this large building/ Having a friend around makes it seem less lonely, even if they were on different levels. "Okay, so let's go in," said Mirillia.

Cagalli nodded. "Okay," she said and smiled while Mirillia dragged her by the arm inside.

In the building, it was only a quarter full. "Since it's only Sunday, not very many people are here. Let's go over to your floor," said Mirillia, taking them into the elevator.

Cagalli and Mirillia went inside. Cagalli saw that there were about 12 levels. "The first and second levels are lounges and offices for the teachers. We get our own lounge in the third level. The fourth level contains a small cafeteria where you can buy lunch. And well the fifth level is yours while the 6th level is mine," Mirillia explained.

"I see," said Cagalli and they stopped at the fifth floor.

The fifth floor was quite large. There were many computers, tables and everyone looked preoccupied. As Cagalli walked in, she saw the boy she met a week ago who she mistakened was Athrun. The boy looked up. "Hey there," he greeted.

Cagalli felt sort of awkward but greeted back. Mirillia gave Cagalli a questing look. "Do you know him?" she asked.

Cagalli shrugged. "Er.. not really. I just ran into him, mistaking him for someone else," she said.

Mirillia seemed satisified with the answer and nodded. "C'mon, I'll show you around," she said as she steered Cagalli away.

The boy gave her an amused look and went back to his work. Mirillia took her to a man who seemed to be in his forties. "Hello, Mr. Izuno. This is your new student. She'll be coming here starting tomorrow," said Mirillia.

Mr. Izuno smiled at them both. He looked kind. "Hi, my name is Athha, Cagalli Yula. Nice to meet you," said Cagalli.

The teacher nodded. "Hey, Miss Athha. You're the ones who sent in the pictures of snow didn't you?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes, that was me. What did you think?" she said.

Mr. Izuno grinned. "I thought that they were pretty good. You have some talent there," he said.

Cagalli blushed. "I guess you'll need a table to work at tomorrow when you come in. Um... there's a spare table next to Izutawa Takeshi over there," said Mr. Izuno as he pointed where the boy with the brown hair sat.

Cagalli swallowed but nodded. "Yes, sir," she said.

"Well we have to go, we'll see you later, Mr. Izuno," said Mirillia as she bowed.

Mr. Izuno nodded. "Very well, see you tomorrow, Miss Athha," he said and went over to some students.

Cagalli and Mirillia went back into the elevator. "He's pretty nice huh?" said Mirillia as she pushed the 6th button.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah," she replied and they got off the elevator.

The sixth floor was pretty similar to the fifth one. Only this room was a bigger. There were more people working here and a lot of projects were displayed on the walls. "We're currently doing portraits of abstract," said Mirillia.

At the end of the day, Mirillia took Cagalli home. "Okay, so I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8am. Be ready by then. And don't forget to bring your camera," she said.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, I won't forget," she said and Mirillia smiled before she left.

_The next day:_ Mirillia picked up Cagalli as promised and together they went to the school of Photography. On a weekday, it was jam-packed with people. The elevator was very crowded and Cagalli was very relieved as she got off on the fifth floor. "Good luck!" she heard Mirillia cry.

Cagalli smiled and walked on. She saw that the boy called Izutawa Takeshi was there already with her desk next to his. Cagalli shrugged and walked over to her desk. As she sat down, he smiled. "Hi, we haven't been introduced properly. I'm Izutawa Takeshi. You can just call me Takeshi," he said.

Cagalli winced at the familarity of his voice. He sounded so much like Athrun that it brought back painful memories. Cagalli shook the thought out of her head and smiled. "Hi, Takeshi. I'm Athha, Cagalli Yula. Just Cagalli is fine with me. So how long have you been into Photography?" she asked.

Takeshi shrugged. "Well for about a year, but this is my first time in Photography school," he said.

Cagalli stared at how fast he was typing on the computer in front of him. He was quite good with technology. "Wow, you're sure good with computers. Are you a coordinator?" she asked.

Takeshi blushed slightly as he turned around. "Yeah, I'm a coordinator. I like to design mechanical robots in my spare time. If you like, I'll show you one of the ones I made tomorrow," he said.

Cagalli nodded once and smiled. "Okay, that'd be cool," she said.

Mr. Izuno stepped in front of the class. He cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone! We're going to take a trip to Nagiri Mansion," he declared.

Everyone started to chatter excitedly. _Wow, Nagiri mansion... _thought Cagalli. "What's Nagiri Mansion?" asked Takeshi.

Cagalli turned to him in surprise. "Well it's a mansion owned by the Nagiri couple: Koji and Minaro. Minaro Nagiri died of illness and Koji was left all alone. He suffered through loneliness and sorrow. He stopped having contact with anyone else and one day he just vanished. No traces of his body or anything. It's pretty creepy. They say it's a haunted mansion and no one dares to go inside it, as they will disappear like the way Koji did," she explained.

Takeshi nodded once. "I see..." he said.

"You haven't been in Tokyo long have you?" asked Cagalli.

"No, I haven't. I've only been here for a few months. My dad and I came from Osaka," said Takeshi.

Mr. Izuno whistled loudly to catch the attention of everyone. "We're going inside the mansion to take some photos. Any questions?" he asked.

A girl with long brown hair and green eyes shot her hand up. "But sir, it is said that the mansion is haunted," she protested.

Mr. Izuno raised an eyebrow, "_It is said._ That means that it might not be true. Anyway, we will be going," he said.

Everyone got up and exited the building. They all walked for a while until they came upon a large lake with a creepy mansion. "Wow..." said Cagalli.

It was a really old mansion. Many students looked jumpy as the slowly entered. The boards creaked as they walked over them. Everything looked old fashioned, but beautiful. Cagalli could see why Mr. Izuno would choose this creepy place. "Okay everyone, you're all allowed to split up and go take pictures. If you want, you can have partners. We'll meet at the bottom of this staircase in an hour," said Mr. Izuno.

Everyone moved to a different part of the house. Cagalli looked around. _I guess I'll work alone. Let's start with the rooms_, she thought as she climbed the staircase.

The staircase moaned with each step. Cagalli entered the bedroom and saw that everything was covered in dust. "Wow, everything's covered in dust," she murmured.

"Yeah I know," said a voice behind her.

Cagalli jumped and turned around. It was Takeshi grinning. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry," he said, while trying not to laugh.

Cagalli blushed in embarrassment. "N-no! You didn't scare me..." she said.

Takeshi gave her a whatever look and looked around. "Everything is so old.." he said quietly.

Cagalli nodded and whipped out her camera. She snapped photos around the bedroom and a few of Takeshi. "Hey, cut it out!" he said.

Cagalli grinned. "Sorry," she said playfully.

Takeshi grinned and took his own camera. As Cagalli studied a dusty old vase carefully, she heard a yell. She turned around immediately. "Takeshi did you he-"

Takeshi was no where to be found. "Takeshi! Where are you!?" Cagalli yelled.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, don't kill me just yet, since it was not Athrun. But I can promise you that Athrun is not dead. He is very much alive. That's all I can say. **


	16. A Day with Takeshi

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while. Been really busy with school and stuff. But to make up for it, I made this chapter a little longer than the other chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Gundam Seed/Destiny, but I don't

* * *

**

Chapter 16:

Cagalli looked around. Takeshi was really gone Was the curse true that whoever entered the hold mansion would disappear? Cagalli started to get worried. She wondered if she should tell the teacher until a voice yelled, "Oi Cagalli!"

It sounded muffled and distant. Cagalli turned. "Where are you, Takeshi?" she yelled.

"Down here! Under the gap beneath the bed!" came a reply.

Cagalli got on her knees and saw that there was a large gap underneath the bed. But it was also very dusty. Cagalli sneezed as she squeezed into the gap. "WAH!" she yelled as she fell through.

It made her stomac turn, but it only lasted for a few seconds. "Ooof!" Cagalli cried out as she fell into warm arms.

"You okay?" asked a cool voice just above her.

Cagalli looked up to see Takeshi holding her bridal style as she had fallen. "Y-yeah t-thanks. Where are we anyway?" she asked, blushing in the darkness that surrounded them.

Takeshi shrugged as he let her down. "I don't know. The basement maybe?" he asked.

"I guess... but we better find a way to get outta here before Mr. Izumo and the others look for us," said Cagalli.

Takeshi looked up. "It's a long way up. There must be another way out. Take my hand, I don't want us to get seperated," he said as he took Cagalli's hand.

Cagalli blushed. _His hand is so warm and strong. He's so much like Athrun. But Athrun is dead forever... _Takeshi lead Cagalli through the darkness. It was so dark that they could barely see each other. It went on for a while until Takeshi pointed ahead of him. "Hey! There's a dim light ahead, c'mon!" he exclaimed and they climbed the stairs.

Quickly, they were out of the darkness and surrounded by light. Cagalli raised her arm to the light as she was momentarily blinded. Faintly, she could hear voices calling for them. "Hey! They're calling. We're almost there!" said Takeshi and he led Cagalli to the staircase.

Mr. Izumo looked relieved to see them but was also angry. "Where have you been?!" he demanded.

Takeshi let go of Cagalli's hand, since everyone, especially the girls was staring at them. "Well, we got lost," said Takeshi calmly.

Mr. Izumo's eyes burned like fire at a moment, but cooled down. "I thought I told you that you could go off individually, but you had to stay near a group of people," he said.

Cagalli bowed. "S-sorry," she said as she blushed to be seen holding Takeshi's hand.

Mr. Izumo sighed. "Okay, just don't do that next time. Alright, is everyone here?" he said as he counted the students.

Everyone was there and they returned back to the Photography school. Mr. Izumo told them they were to do a photography project with the partner beside them on winter. Cagalli smiled, as winter was her favorite season. She turned to Takeshi. "Hey, Takeshi, what is your favorite season?" she asked.

Takeshi looked outside and smiled dreamily. "Winter... Even though as cold as it is, it's not as cold as you think. It's only cold because you are alone," he said.

Cagalli stared at him. _That's exactly what Athrun had said to me before he died! But how can that be? Is Athrun alive? But how come he looks so different? Athrun loved the fact that his eyes were different than anyone elses'. But why doesn't he remember me? Did he forget about me, about us?_ she pondered. She only stopped when Takeshi waved his arm up and down in front of her face. "Hello...? Anyone there?" he said.

Cagalli snapped back to reality. "H-huh? Oh sorry..." she said.

Takeshi grinned. "S'okay. Anyway, like I was saying, you're my partner so what pictures do you want to take of winter?" he asked.

Cagalli shrugged. "Maybe the snow covered trees, or maybe the mountains," she said.

Takeshi nodded. "Yeah, I guess. We could go tomorrow, if you like, since there is no school," he said. **(A/N: They only have photography school three times a week)**

Cagalli nodded and smiled. "Okay, wait... I'll give you my address," she said as she ripped a piece of paper and scribbled her address.

Takeshi took it and grinned. "Okay," he said.

Soon it was break time. Cagalli noticed on her way out that Takeshi was surrounded by girls as he headed towards the elevator. _Wow, he's popular... _Cagalli thought as she tried not to laugh. But then she was hit with sadness. _Just like Athrun used to be..._ Cagalli stood there watching until someone shook her. "Cagalli?" it was Mirillia.

Cagalli shook the sad thoughts out of her head. "Oh hi, Mir," she said.

Mirillia smiled. She thought she saw sadness on Cagalli's face, but it faded so fast that Mirillia thought she had imagined it. "Let's go down to the cafeteria," she said.

Cagalli nodded and the two of them went down to the cafeteria to find that it was quite crowded. Cagalli looked to her right to the most crowded table. Mirillia looked too. "Wow, a guy surrounded by let's see... 8 girls?!" she commented.

"That's Takeshi... what a ladies man," said Cagalli as she tried not to laugh.

"Yeah I know... it sorta reminds me of Athr-" Mirillia caught herself.

Cagalli looked at Mirillia with wide eyes. Mirillia looked to the ground. She had forgotten. "I'm s-sorry, Cagalli," she said.

Cagalli gave her a weak smile and shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I've gotten over him," she said.

Together they sat down and ate their lunch. At the end of the class, Takeshi went over to Cagalli. "So Cagalli, what time should I pick you up?" he asked.

Cagalli shrugged and faced him. "Anytime is okay. How about 11 in the morning?" she suggested as she cleaned up her work.

Takeshi smiled. "Sure. Be ready," he said and left with a ton of girls following after him.

_The next day: _Takeshi came as promised and at the exact time too. He came up and rang her doorbell while Cagalli was still rummaging through her stuff to get her camera and backpack ready. Cagalli's mom opened the door. "Hello my name is Izutawa Takeshi. Is Cagalli ready for the day?" Takeshi asked cooly.

Cagalli's mom blinked. _Wow... this guy is perfect for Cagalli, only if she wasn't already with Kira.._ She turned. "Cagalli!" she called.

Cagalli was heard as she ran down the stairs with a loaded backpack and a camera around her neck. "Okay! I'm ready!" she said.

Takeshi nodded once. "Okay, let's go," he said as he walked down to his sports car.

Cagalli looked ahead of her to find a sports car like Athrun's, only this one was pure silver. _Wow... cool!_ She turned to her mom. "Well, I'm off!" she said.

Cagalli's mom smiled. "Have fun," she said as she leaned on the door frame.

Cagalli smiled and went into Takeshi's car. Together they took off. _I wonder... if Cagalli will continue to be with Kira? This boy looks like Patrick when we were younger..._ thought Cagalli's mom as she closed the door and went inside.

Cagalli turned to Takeshi, who was driving. "So where are we going anyway?" she asked.

Takeshi kept his eyes on the road. "Well we're going up the mountain to take some photos of Tokyo. It'd be interesting, wouldn't it?" he said.

Cagalli shrugged. "Sure, if you say so," she said.

After about 20 minutes later, they arrived at the top of the mountain. Cagalli looked down at Tokyo, which seemed really small from where they are. "Wow... it's beautiful," she said.

Takeshi nodded. "Yeah I know. Winter makes everything seem more alive and it is beautiful too," he said.

Cagalli whipped out her camera which was under her jacket and snapped a few photos around the snow-covered mountain. After spending some time taking photos, Takeshi turned to Cagalli. "It's getting colder. You want to go to the Mountain side café?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded as she inhaled the chilling air. "It's not too far, but we'll have to walk, since there is no road that leads up there," said Takeshi. **(A/N: If you're wondering what a café would be doing in a middle of nowhere, let's just say that the mountain has a ski lodge and that the café is next to the ski lodge.)**

As they walked, the snow fell gracefully around them. "Tell me more about yourself, Cagalli," said Takeshi as they walked along the snow covered path.

"Well, I grew up in Nagoya and moved here only three years ago. I went to Shinto High for two years here in Tokyo. My best friend is Hawwe Mirillia. She's the one who got me into photography. Mir's on the floor above us," said Cagalli.

Takeshi smiled. "So you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

Cagalli blushed and blinked rapidly. "W-wha..?" she asked, certainly caught off guard.

Takeshi kicked the snow. "A girl as cute as you are must have a boyfriend," he said playfully.

Cagalli blushed but looked up at the sky. "Well, I guess you can say Hibiki Kira is my boyfriend. We've been friends since we were kids," she admitted.

Takeshi blinked. In his mind, he suddenly saw a blurred vision of a boy with brown hair and a cheerful smile. Takeshi put his hand up to his head. _Argh, what is happening to me? Why am I seeing these vision? Who is this boy?_ "Takeshi, you okay?" asked a concerned voice.

Takeshi opened his eyes and saw Cagalli's worried face. Takeshi smiled weakily. "Yeah, I'm okay," he replied.

Cagalli shot him a suspicious look, but dropped the matter. They walked on, but Takeshi never got the vision of the mysterious boy and another boy with midnight blue hair out of his head. After they reached the café, Cagalli ordered hot chocolate while Takeshi asked for coffee. Cagalli looked outside. It was now snowing heavily. "Wow, it keeps on going," she commented.

Takeshi looked at her gentle face. _She seems so at peace as she looks at the new fallen snow,_ he thought. Cagalli turned to him. "Well, you know a bit about me, so what about you?" she asked.

Takeshi first had a thoughtful expression, but then it turned into a troubled one. "I know this will probably sound strange to you, but I don't remember much about my past. All I remember are my last three years. My father said that while one day I was cliff diving, the water level was too low and I hit the bottom and fell unconscious. But I fortuantely did not lose my life. But the consequences for my foolish actions is that my memories were lost," he said quietly.

Cagalli blinked in surprise. "Wow.. so you don't remember anything form you past?" she questioned.

"No, all I remember is some very blurred visions of a boy, but that's it," he replied.

Cagalli wondered about what Takeshi just said. _All he remembers is from three years ago. Athrun died three years ago. Or so it seems. Is this man in front of me is actually Athrun Zala?_ "What does the boy look like? I'm just curious," she said carefully.

Takeshi closed his eyes for a moment. Cagalli stared at him. _It is you, isn't it, Athrun?_ Takeshi reopened his eyes and sighed. "It's blurry, but I think he had brown hair," he said.

Cagalli felt a little disappointed. _I guess.. Athrun really is gone.._ "Cagalli?" said a voice.

Cagalli snpapped back to reality. "You okay?" You seem a little sad. Did I say something wrong?" asked Takeshi.

Cagalli shook her head and gave the strongest smile she could muster. "Nah, it's nothing," but inside her mind, she thought hard.

_Whether I like it or not, Athrun's really dead. I can't change that face. And I have to stop thinking about him. I'll soon be engaged to Kira, who's my childhood best friend and Athrun's closest friend before he died. _"It's getting late, we better get back before it gets too dark," said Takeshi and they left.

As Takeshi drove, there was an uncomfortable silence. He cleared his throat. "Well, like I promised, I brought my mechanical robots. If you like to see him, just look into my book bag," he said.

Cagalli, who was curious, looked into it. A soft mewl came out. Cagalli picked it up. It was a small baby tiger. It was really cute. As the light entered, the baby tiger opened his eyes and blinked its baby blue eyes. "Awww! It's so cute!" Cagalli exclaimed.

Takeshi grinned. "So you like him? He seems to taken a quick liking to you," he said as the baby tiger walked on Cagalli's lap.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, he's cute," she said as she stroked his metallic head.

"His name is Robs. You can have him if you want. My house is already populated with my mechanical friends," said Takeshi.

Cagalli smiled. "Okay! Sure! So does Robs need anything? Like food or water?" she asked.

"Nope, just some tender loving care. That's all he needs. If you don't give him that, he'll shut off and it'll be hard to get him back," said Takeshi as they arrived at Cagalli's house.

They got out of the car and Cagalli held Robs while she turned to Takeshi. "Takeshi, thanks for the day. It was a lot of fun, taking pictures with you," she said.

Takeshi grinned. "No problem. I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

Cagalli nodded. "Okay, bye," she said and Takeshi left.

* * *

**A/N: There we go! Takeshi seems pretty nice huh? Again, thanks to all who reviewed. And thanks to the people who read my first chapter and kept on going! It really made me happy, to see that people are actually reading my fic. XD**


	17. With Him

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated for about two weeks now!?! I've been really busy with schoolwork and was falling behind in some stuff. I still have to continue with my work, but decided to take a 30 min break and get this chapter up. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny

* * *

**

Chapter 17: With Him

The next day, Cagalli went to photography school as normal. There she met Takeshi who was already busy working. "Good morning, Takeshi," said Cagalli as she sat down at her table.

Takeshi turned and smiled. "Yo. So did you bring the pictures from yesterday?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded and held up an envelope. "Yeah, got them right here. So the project is sort of like a collage?"

Takeshi nodded. "Yeah. I started on my photos. We'll add yours to mine and hopefully that'll be enough," he said and the two went back to working.

During lunch break, Mirillia met up with Cagalli as always, just that today she came down earlier. "We were doing really well, so we got off early," she explained.

Mirillia turned to Takeshi. "Hi there. My name is Hawwe Mirillia. What's up?" she said.

Takeshi smiled. "Hey, Mirillia, if you'll allow me to call you that. I'm Izutawa Takeshi. Just Takeshi is fine with me," he said.

"Sure, Mirillia is fine. Want to have lunch with Cagalli and me?" Mirillia invited.

Takeshi shrugged. "Okay," he said and started to clean up.

So the three of them walked down to the elevator with many girls looking enviously. They brought their lunch and sat down in a corner next to the window. "So where are you from, Takeshi? I can tell by your accent that you haven't been in Tokyo for very long," said Mirillia.

"Yeah, I'm from Osaka. I just recently moved here about a month ago," he said.

Mirillia grinned. "A month ago, that's not a very long time. Yet you have many friends here," she said.

Takeshi blushed slightly. "Really?" he said.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, I see a bunch of girls following you each day," she said in an amused manner.

"I don't know. They're always like that," said Takeshi.

Mirillia shrugged. "Anyway, I was thinking, would you like to hang with Cagalli, me and our other friends? I'm sure they'll like you," she suggested.

Cagalli grinned. _Wow, it seems they're fast friends! _"Yeah, that'd be cool. You could meet Kira, Dearka and Lacus," she said.

Takeshi gave a thoughtful look. "Hmm... okay, sure. Sound's like fun. When?" he asked.

"How about tomorrow? Kira and Dearka don't really do much so they're always free," said Mirillia as she ate her sandwich.

Takeshi nodded. "Okay then," he said and they all finished their lunches to proceed with Photography class.

After class was over, they promised to meet up at Cagalli's house. "I'll see you then!" she said as she went home.

_At Cagalli's house._ Cagalli picked up her cellphone. She heard it ring a few times before someone picked it up. "Hello?" said a young male voice.

"Hi there Kira," said Cagalli.

"Cagalli? What's up?" came Kira's curious voice.

"Oh it's nothing. I made a new friend at my Photography class. His name is Izutawa Takeshi. He's a really nice person. So I thought that maybe we could all meet up and get to know him. What do you think?" said Cagalli.

Kira, shrugged. _I guess it can't hurt. He's probably just a friend. _"Okay, then. Where should I meet you?" he asked.

Cagalli smiled. "It's not just me. Mir's tagging along too. And I'm thinking of dragging Dearka and Lacus here too. Come to my place at 1pm tomorrow. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Um... sure I guess. I'll see you tomorrow then," he said and hung up.

Cagalli grinned and called up the others, who agreed in the end. _This is gonna be cool! Kira and the others will like Takeshi! I'm sure!_

The next day came quickly. Everyone met up at Cagalli's house. Takeshi was the first one to get there. "Hey, Takeshi! Early as always," said Cagalli.

Takeshi grinned. "Yeah, so when are the others coming?" he asked curiously.

Just as he said it, the bell rang. "That's probably them. Coming!" Cagalli said and rushed down to greet her friends.

Mirillia, Lacus, Dearka and Kira showed up. They all greeted Takeshi warmly. All but Kira. He just said "hi", but looked wary. Everyone asked a lot of questions about Takeshi, who blushed at the attention he got, but nevertheless answered them all. Everyone thought Takeshi was really cool and he managed to fit in. No one noticed Kira, being a shadow, no one except Lacus. She went over to Kira while the others were busy chatting away like no end. "Hey, Kira. What's up?" she asked in her cheerful nature.

Kira shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't like him very much," he said quietly.

Lacus gave Kira a searching look. "Him, as in Takeshi?" she asked.

Kira nodded. "Why though? He seems friendly," said Lacus.

Kira shrugged again. "I know, but that isn't the problem..." he said more to himself.

Lacus sighed. "Are you worried that Takeshi might take Cagalli away from you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Kira looked up. Lacus was very good with emotions and feelings and she was hardly ever wrong. "Yeah," he said.

It was partly true though. It was too complicated for Kira to say. He was worried about Cagalli, but it is not whether Takeshi will take her from him or not. Kira was worried about himself being a burden to Cagalli. Did Cagalli really love him? If she didn't, Kira preferred Cagalli to tell him the truth, afterall he wanted her to keep smiling, even if it wasn't for him.

Lacus smiled. Kira was always worried about other people. "Don't worry about it, Cagalli loves you more than anything. I'm sure she won't leave you," she said.

Inside her mind, she wasn't exactly perfectly sure. _I don't want to hurt Kira the way I've been hurt._ Kira gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Lacus," he said.

Lacus gave a strong smile. "Anytime," was all she said before the two rejoined the others.

As time passed, Kira stopped distrusting Takeshi and gave him a chance. When he did, they actually became better friends once they got to know each other. Acting more like a boyfriend, Kira volunteered to drive Cagalli regularly to and from Photography school. As Kira dropped her off, Cagalli went inside her class and saw that Takeshi was already there. So was Mirillia. Cagalli walked up to them. "Good morning," said Takeshi and Mirillia.

"Good morning, you guys," said Cagalli and she laid down her bookbag and all of her things.

Mirillia sat on the table and faced them. "I'm planning to throw a birthday dance party at my place. You wanna come, Cagalli? I already asked Takeshi and he said yes," she said.

Cagalli nodded even though she hated dances, but Mirillia was one of her best friends, so one night couldn't possibly hurt. "Okay, but I most likely won't do much dancing. Who else is coming other than Takeshi and me?" she asked.

Mirillia looked thoughtful. "Let's see.. Kira, Lacus, Dearka, Yzak, Shiho, Shin, Stellar and some others," she said as she counted in her head.

"Wow.. so quite a bit of people huh?" said Takeshi.

Mirillia nodded and grinned. "Yep, but not a lot, if you know what I mean. Just about over 20 people in total," she said. "It's on saturday night at 6. Don't be late," she added.

The bell run. "Oh! Gotta get back to my class before the prof gets there. I'll see you two later!" she said as she grabbed her book bag and ran to the elevator.

As Saturday came closer, Lacus asked Cagalli to go shopping with her. "Ugh.. shopping?! I'm no good at shopping!" Cagalli has groaned.

Lacus had laughed but said, "Oh c'mon! It won't be totally boring! Please Cagalli?" and gave her most helpless look.

Cagalli, had sighed but gave in, so now they were at the mall. Lacus looked like a delighted child as there were dozens of fashion stores. She turned to Cagalli. "Where do you want to go first?" she asked.

Cagalli looked around. "Doesn't matter to me," she said but mumbled, "The sooner we finish, the better,"

But Lacus heard her. She had a very hurtful expression. "Cagalli! Don't you want to spend some quality time with me? You're always so busy and I never get to see you often," she said sadly.

Cagalli eyed her friend and sighed again. Lacus was very good at persuasion. "Look, I'm sorry, Lacus. I'm just no good with shopping," she said.

Lacus dropped the hurtful expression and had a bright smile. "Don't worry! I'll help you pick out a dress for Mirillia's party! C'mon, there's a great store!" she said happily as she dragged a defeated Cagalli.

In the end, Lacus chose a lavender gown while Cagalli chose a light green gown like her previous one, but had less lace on it. At the night of the party, Cagalli had her hair in a ponytail. As Cagalli carried Mir's present, which was a new organizer, since Mir's old one broke, she looked back at her room. A small red box seemed to be calling her. Cagalli went back in and lifted the cover and looked at the ever-new sparkling emerald necklace. She hasn't worn it since Athrun's death. _Should I?_ Cagalli wondered. _Why not.. Athrun would expect me to wear it if he was still here._ And with that Cagalli lifted the precious necklace and wore it around her neck. As Cagalli stepped out of her room, her mom gave her a big hug. "Oh Cagalli, you look beautiful! Kira is so lucky to have a beautiful girl like you," she commented as she released her daughter.

Cagalli smiled. "Thanks, mom. Kira's going to be here soon," she said as she looked out the window to see a dark car waiting for her.

"Have fun," said her mom as Cagalli went out the door. "Thanks! I will!" said her daughter and she disappeared into the darkness.

Her mom stood there. _I really hope she does have a good time. She has never gone to dance within the last three years since a special friend of hers died in a car accident. What was his name again? Oh well it's still wonderful to see her smiling again. I wonder if she's really happy with Kira.._ A few moments later at Mirillia's house, almost everyone was there. Cagalli and Kira both went to Mirillia and gave her a hug. "Wow, you look beautiful, Mir!" said Kira.

Mirillia blushed. "Thanks! You two do as well," she replied.

Dearka, who was beside her, laid his hand on Mirillia's waist. "Hey hey! She's my girl remember?" he demanded in an amusing tone.

Kira laughed. "Yeah, of course I remember. Anyway, here's your present, Mir," he said and Cagalli took this as a cue to give her her present as well.

"I hope you like it! I wasn't sure on what to get you, but hopefully, this will do," said Cagalli.

Mirillia gave both Kira and Cagalli a big hug. "Thanks, you two! I'm sure that I'll love it. I'm sorry, but I'll have to see you later," said Mirillia apologetically as she had to go entertain some other people that were here.

Cagalli smiled. "That's okay, we'll see you later then," she said and Mirillia and Dearka left.

Kira turned to Cagalli. "So, you want to dance?" he asked as many others were dancing across the tiled floor.

Cagalli groaned. She hated to dance. "C'mon! It's not all that bad. Please? Do it for me?" he asked.

Cagalli sighed. She hated when people were like this. "Alright! Alright! But don't blame me if I accidentally kill your right foot," she said.

Kira chuckled light and took her hand. She noticed that Kira moved quite smoothly across the floor. As she danced, for some reason her mind wasn't completely on the dance. "Cagalli, you okay?" asked Kira as he spun her around.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, just I think I need some air," she replied.

Kira nodded and stopped. "Okay, let's stop then," he said.

He took her out onto the balcony. "Kira!' called a familiar male voice.

Cagalli and Kira both turned. It was Sai and Tolle. "Oh hi, long time no see you guys!" said Kira.

Tolle grinned. "Yeah, long enough. Come hang with us and catch up on the old times," he offered.

Kira looked to Cagalli. "You wanna come?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head but smiled. "Nah, you go on ahead, I'll stay here and enjoy the night," she said.

Kira nodded. "Okay then, I'll see you later," he said and left with Sai and Tolle.

As Cagalli looked outside, she saw that the night was clear and many stars were out. She sighed. Everyone was busy and having a good time except her. What was wrong with her? Suddenly a familiar voice called her name, "Cagalli?"

Cagalli turned to see Takeshi dressed quite finely. Black pants with a white top and a black jacket. He smiled as he looked at her. "You look beautiful," he commented.

Cagalli blushed. "T-thanks, you don't look that bad either," she replied.

Takeshi stood next to her on Mirillia's balcony. "So what are you doing here alone?" he asked.

Cagalli looked out. "Just needed some air and Kira went to talk to his friends. When did you get here anyway?" she asked.

"Actually, I got here a while ago. But I didn't see you until now," he replied.

Cagalli looked down. Mirillia's backyard was really big and everything was lit up. There was a beautiful fountain with many fish swimming in it. It looked really magical. "Let's go down there," said Takeshi as if he read her mind.

Cagalli smiled. "Okay," she said and they went down.

"It's so beautiful and peaceful too," said Cagalli quietly.

Takeshi looked at her. _She's really beautiful when she smiles. _"May I have a dance?" he asked as he held out his hand and bowed.

Cagalli smiled. "Okay," she said and she took his hand.

As they moved swiftly across the floor, Cagalli felt as if she was under a spell. _He's special.._ Takeshi looked at her and then the object around her neck. "That's really beautiful, your necklace," he said.

Cagalli smiled. But it was a sad smile. "Yes, it was a present from a close friend of mine, but he died in a car accident, so now I wear it for my memories with him," she said.

Takeshi nodded as if he understood what she felt. In his mind, for some strange reason, he saw a girl with blonde hair with a midnight-haired man laughing together and having a good time. _Is that Cagalli? Yes it is her... but why is she there and who is that man? Why doesn't he show his face to me? And why do these visions keep appearing? What does it have to do with me?_ He was brought back to reality as he heard Cagalli call his name. "Takeshi? You alright? You look like you were in a daze," she said.

Takeshi blinked. "H-huh? Oh yeah.. Let's continue," he said and they danced once more.

Both felt that no time had passed and then they sat down on the edgy of the fountain talking happily. A pair of violet eyes looked sadly at the two who seemed to be happy with the other from behind the curtain. _She's happy.._ Cagalli looked at her watch. "It's getting late, I better go," she said.

As she turned to go back inside, Takeshi took her hand. "Let's dance again some other time?" he asked.

Cagalli felt some resistance. She would want to, but she felt as if she was betraying Kira. "Takeshi.. listen. I-i shouldn't have danced with you tonight. If Kira saw, he would be hurt... let's just continue to be just friends," she said.

Takeshi's hand dropped her own. He looked down. "I see... okay, it's fine with me," he said, trying to contain the hurt in his voice without much success.

Cagalli felt really bad, but resisted to cry. She had promised never to cry again. "Y-yeah.. so, I'll see you later then... bye," she said and she ran back inside.

Takeshi stood there watching her swift movements. _I guess, I can't compete with Kira... But I won't give up hope. _

* * *

**A/N: Yup, here we go. Yes, it's like Winter Sonata if any of you were wondering. XD But I haven't seen it for about five years, so I get to change some stuff. lol. And thank you to those who have reviewed my past chapters! I hope I'll be able to update soon!**


	18. His Feelings

**A/N: Hi! Sorry haven't updated for a LONG time. Schoolwork is the cause of it and we've been getting a lot of snow up here. It's really funny because the school was supposed to be closed, but it was not and there were pretty much no teachers and a few subs. The subs didn't really know what to do since there was no plan so one of them let us go play in the snow. In my english class, there was no teacher and no sub. We got to do whatever we want. XD And in humanities, the sub there had no plan either and we played games for an hour and a half. Quite an interesting day, but finally got to type out this chapter. Just to warn you, this chapter and the next will be kinda short.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own GS/GSD

* * *

**

Chapter 18: His Feelings

The next following days went pretty normal; Cagalli got about 87 in photography class and Mirillia did pretty good as well. Even though Cagalli told Takeshi she couldn't be with him because she was already with Kira, they still remained close friends. However, she did wish that she could love him. He was special; it seemed that they had knew each other in another lifetime and were seen together a lot. But Cagalli was also really confused. She stayed awake in bed for many nights wondering if her relationship with Kira was just friendly. On Friday, she received a phone call from Kira. "Cagalli? It's me, Kira. I was wondering if you'd be busy tomorrow and if you'd like to go on a date with me," he said.

Cagalli looked down at her bedroom floor. "Um.. sure. What time?" she asked.

"How about I pick you up at your house around 5? Then we could get some dinner together," said Kira.

"Okay, sounds cool," said Cagalli as she felt that she should've said no.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, bye," he said and hung up.

"Bye," said Cagalli as she sat on her chair with her robotic tiger cub that Takeshi had given to her happily purring on her lap.

_What should I do? Both Kira and Takeshi are really good people... I can't bear to hurt either of them... I'll ask mom... _Cagalli gently picked up Robs and laid him on her bed. Then she went down to the office where her mom did her work at hone. Cagalli found her mom writing down some files. She knocked on the open door. "Hey mom, do you have a minute?" she asked.

Her mom looked up and smiled. "Sure, come on in and sit down," she said as she laid down her pen.

Cagalli sighed as she went in and sat down on the couch facing her mom. "So, what did you want to talk about?" her mom asked.

Cagalli cleared her throat and chose her words carefully. "Well, a friend of mine has some guy trouble. There is two guys really important to her. She's currently dating one of the guys for a while now and they've been friends since they were little. However, she thinks that her feelings for him are just friendly, not really love, while with the other guy, she feels that he's special and she knows she has feelings for him and vice versa. What would she say to her boyfriend? Would she just say that she wants to end their relationship that has been going on for about three years now or what?" she asked.

Her mother leaned back on her chair and had a thoughtful expression. "Well your 'friend' should tell her current boyfriend what she really feels for him is not love and that her feelings are just friendly. She can say that she only wants to be friends. If he's a good boy, he'll accept this and hopefully Kir- I mean your friend's boyfriend will understand how you feel. And I have a feeling he will," said her mother.

Cagalli looked at her mother. "But, wouldn't that be hard though? I mean to get your feelings out?" she asked.

Her mother nodded. "Yes, but I think it's much easier to spill your feelings out than to keep them all bottled up. It's a lot of pressure and you don't always get the best sleep," she said.

Cagalli got up and gave her mom a big hug. "Oh thank you! I hope everything will go okay," she said.

Her mother hugged her back. "It'll be fine. Now does that help yo-I mean your 'friend'?" she asked.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes, it helped a lot," she said and smiled.

_The next day at 5pm: _Cagalli wore her normal clothes: red t-shirt with tan-ish cargo pants and went to meet Kira. Kira wore a dark blue t-shirt with a light brown jacket unzipped. "Hi, ready to go?" asked Kira as he held her door open.

"Yeah," said Cagalli as she got in.

_Okay! I have to tell him and get this over with.._ "Kira, I want to tell yo-" she started but got cut off by Kira.

"I booked a reservation for us at Shota's River. I know you love that place," said Kira as he drove in the night.

Then he looked at her. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head and smiled weakly. "Oh nothing of importance," she said.

_Cagalli! What is wrong with you?! How can you say it's nothing important?! This is not like you!_ Cagalli mentally scolded herself. They sooned arrived and a waiter showed them their place. _Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit in the last three years; it looks as fancy as always._ Cagalli thought as she looked around. "You can order first," said Kira as he looked up from his menu.

"Um... how about some udon and onigiri with a smoothie?" she suggested. **(A/N: udon is rice noodles, while onigiri is riceball)**

The waiter nodded and wrote it all down. Kira looked up and placed his menu down. "I'll take the dinner lunch combo that has sushi, takoyaki **(A/N: Octopus balls)** and teriyaki with lemon water," said Kira.

The waiter nodded again and took their menus. "Thank you, your dinner will be coming along shortly," he said and went away.

"So how are you doing in photography class?" Kira asked, trying to break the uneasy silence that surrounded them.

Cagalli shrugged. "Pretty well. I got an A," she said.

Kira nodded slowly. "I see.. what about Takeshi? How is he doing?" he asked as they weaited for their meals.

"Takeshi's doing really good. He has about 95," she answered as she looked up. "Oh here comes the food,"

As their meals got laid on the table, Kira and Cagalli ate in an uncomfortable silence. As they finished, Kira left a big tup and they went back to his car. "Since there's some time left, let's go down to the beach," said Kira as he drove.

Cagalli nodded silently. As they drove in silence, Cagalli felt a battle going on in her head. _"You have to tell him what you feel!" _said a voice.

But another voice disagreed. _"But you'll break his heart if you do so! Don't wreak your friendship!"_

Cagalli resisted the urge to whack herself. _Jeez, this so not HELPING! Besides, I already made up my mind to tell him. I'm not turning back._ Kira looked over to her. "You okay, Cagalli? You looked somewhat disturbed," he said.

Cagalli gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine. I was just doing some thinking," she said.

As they stopped by the beach, the sun was setting and it was magical. The gentle spring wind blew past them as they looked out to sea. "Beautiful huh?" said Kira as he stood behind Cagalli on the empty beach.

Cagalli nodded. "Yeah, it's so big," she said.

Kira looked at her. She looked quite disturbed and wondered if he was the cause of it. He cleared his throat. "Um.. Cagalli, I wanted to tell you something important. Something I should've said a while ago," he started out.

Cagalli turned to face him. _His eyes look quite sad, yet there is quite a bit of determination to them..._ "Okay. After, I want to say something as well," she said.

Kira nodded solemly. "Cagalli, you and I have been friends for a long time and I think it's best if we remain just friends," he said quietly.

Cagalli stared at him. She wasn't expected him to say how she felt. "I know you have strong feelings for me, but those feelings aren't love; they just friendly. You love Takeshi, don't you?" asked Kira as he looked at her thin face.

Cagalli adverted her gaze and looked at the sand. "I-i'm s-sorry Kira... but yes, I do love Takeshi.." she said very quietly, trying not to cry as she slid onto her knees.

Kira gave a sad smile. "It's okay. I won't force you to love me. No one can force you to love someone," he said as he bent down to give her a small hug.

Cagalli sniffled. She had broken her promise to Athrun to stay strong and not cry. "Oh Kira... I feel terrible... I'm so selfish," she said in a whisper.

Kira patted her head. "No, to love someone else is not selfish. It's okay, I've already told our parents to break the engagement, so that you wouldn't have to," he said as he stood up.

Cagalli's eyes widened. So that was why her mother looked so distressed yesterday night.

**_Flashback:_**

_At around 8pm on Friday night, Cagalli's mom picked up a phone call. "Hello?" she had answered._

_"Hello, Mrs. Athha, it's Kira," said the familar voice on the other line._

_"Oh Kira! Hold on, let me get Ca-" she was cut off by Kira who had said, "No, don't get her. Please. There's something I tell you that I've decided,"_

_Cagalli's mom waited silently. "I've came to the conclusion that Cagalli doesn't love me. She thinks of me as a brother, not as a boyfriend. And I don't want to be a burden to her if she doesn't love me, so I would like to break the engagement," said Kira silently._

_Cagalli's mom stood there. "I see," she said, trying not to let her voice waver._

_"Have you told her yet?" she asked._

_Kira shook his head. "No, I will tomorrow on our last date together," he said._

_"Okay," said Cagalli's mom and the two said goodbye and hung up._

_Cagalli had came out of her room. She walked up to her mom to see that she was a bit shocked. "Mother? Who was that?" she asked._

_Her mom shook her head and gave a smile. "Oh it's nothing, just a friend," she had said._

_**End of Flashback.**_

Cagalli had wondered who she was talking to and now she knew. "Let's go home," said Kira and he took her home.

* * *

**A/N: That's the end of this chapter. Thanks to all reviewers that reviewed my updates. On my last chapter, I had 3 reviews, but I guess it was kinda bad, so I tried to do better on this one. Tell me what you think! D**


	19. Mr Hibiki

**A/N: Told ya it would be really short. And I gotta go soon, so not a lot to put up here. I'll try to get more updates sooner and this story is getting a little faster.**

**Disclaimer: Nopes, I don't own either series

* * *

**

Chapter 19: Mr. Hibiki

Every since Kira had broke the engagement, Cagalli felt somewhat different. She was never early for school, yet she arrived at Photography school 2 hours ahead of time. Once Mirillia found Cagalli spacing out during lunch break and poured tea all over her tray. And Takeshi saw Cagalli's eyes were sprinkled with bits of sadness. "I think something's wrong with her," Mirillia whispered to Takeshi as Cagalli excused herself and went to the washroom.

Takeshi nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm worried about her. What should we do to get some info out of her?" he asked.

Mirillia had a thoughtful expression. "I don't know, how about you just talk to her?" she suggested.

"What kind of idea is that? Cagalli will most likely get mad at us, mostly me if she finds out that I'm trying to pry stuff out of her," Takeshi said in horror.

Mirillia glared at Takeshi, challenging him. "Well you got a better idea?!" she demanded.

Takeshi lowered his gaze. "Alright, alright! I'll do it, sheesh," he said.

After photography class was over Takeshi met up with Cagalli. "Hey Cagalli, you wanna go over to the park and grab some ice cream?" he asked.

Cagalli only shrugged. "Okay," she said half-heartedly.

Sitting next to a un-emotional person is quite bizarre in Takeshi's eyes. _Why is she like this? She was the livilest person I know!_ He thought as they reached the park.

He brought her over to a picnic table. "Just wait here, I'll go get the cones," said Takeshi and he ran over to the ice cream stand.

Meanwhile, Cagalli sat there feeling quite sad. _Kira... I wonder how he felt underneath that smiling face._ She sat there sighing sadly and decided to take a walk to the creek. When Takeshi came back, Cagalli was no where to be found. _Damnit! Where are you, Cagalli?!_ He thought frustratedly as he ran to find her. _Where would I go if I were Cagalli?_ Takeshi asked himself as he looked around frantically for her. But he got no answer and looked everywhere in the park. About 10 minutes later, Takeshi was found sweating like crazy and still no Cagalli. _There's only once place left and that's the creek. She better be there!_ Takeshi panted and ran over to the creek.

As he got there, he sighed with relief as he saw Cagalli sitting on the soft spring grass looking at the creek sadly. "There you are!" he yelled loudly.

But Cagalli didn't even turn. She was focused on the smooth moving creek. _Okay, that's it! She's been like this long enough!_ Takeshi held the two melting ice cream cones in one hand and took the other and splashed Cagalli with the freezing cold water. Cagalli blinked. "Hey! What did you do that for?!" she demanded as she was soaked to the face.

Takeshi panted. "You have been spacing out for the past three days! What's up with you?" he demanded.

Cagalli looked at him sadly. "It's Kira. He broke the engagement with me," she said quietly.

Takeshi gave her a sympathetic look. "Oh.. I didn't know. I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Cagalli sniffled. "To make matters worse, I think I hurt him again," she said.

Takeshi laid down the two cones that got washed up by the creek and held Cagalli close. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. Don't worry about it. Kira will get over it. He's a good person, he doesn't hold grudges," he said as he tried to comfort her.

Cagalli had her arms around Takeshi's warm body and hugged him while she cried quietly. Takeshi held her as she kept on crying. "I'll keep holding you; I'll hold you until you feel better," he said.

After a little while, Cagalli stopped crying and looked into Takeshi's chestnut eyes. "Takeshi, am I a bad person?" she asked quietly.

Takeshi shook his head and smiled. "Nope, you're a really good person. If you ever have a problem that is bothering you, you can always talk it out with me. I'll listen," he said.

Cagalli looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Takeshi," she said and she hugged him once more.

"Takeshi? Can I tell you one more thing?" she asked.

Takeshi released her. "Sure," he said.

Cagalli had a hint of redness on her face but she looked at him. "Takeshi, I really love you. That was why Kira broke the engagement. He didn't want me to feel forced to marry him. But throughout all that time, I loved you," she said quietly.

Takeshi looked her in surprise. "Do you mean it? Because I love you too. But I felt guilty that I was still with you while you were pretty much engaged to Kira," he said.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes, I meant it. Kira is and always has been a caring person. He looked after me through all the hard times and is still loyal to me, even after I said I couldn't love him," she said.

"I see. So he was like a brother?" asked Takeshi and Cagalli nodded again.

"Yes, I treat him as if he is my brother and I'm sure he treats me the same way too. That was why things couldn't work out," said Cagalli.

"That's good, at least you still have him close by," said Takeshi.

Cagalli smiled, happy to have Takeshi next to her. He made her feel happy and safe as Athrun once made her feel.

Over the next few days, Cagalli and the others went over to Kira's house, planning to throw a surprise party for Dearka. "It needs to be big," said Lacus as she sat next to Kira.

Everyone agreed and started talking when someone came into the room. Kira turned around. It was a tall blonde-haired man who looked quite tired and had a heavy suitcase. "Dad!" Kira yelled happily as he hasn't seen his father for about 6 years.

Mr. Hibiki smiled. "Kira! You've grown so much. You're starting to look like a man," he said as he gave Kira a big pat.

Kira blushed and his mom came in and gave his dad a big hug and a kiss to the cheek. "Hello, dear, have you been well?" asked Mr. Hibiki as the others looked at each other and gave a wierd shrug.

"Yes, I've missed you very much," said Mrs. Hibiki.

"And I as well," said Mr. Hibiki.

Then all of a sudden Cagalli sneezed quietly. The Hibiki's looked at her. "I'm sorry," said Cagalli apologetically.

Kira laughed. "Bless you," he said as the others started to laugh as well.

Cagalli gave a small laugh and for a moment caught Mr. Hibiki's eye. _What is he looking at me for with those curious eyes for? I just sneezed by accident._ Cagalli thought as Mr. Hibiki's eyes widened. _Could she be? No, it can't be her... _he thought. "Oh Kira, why don't you introduce your friends?" suggested his mother.

Kira nodded. "Dad, this is Lacus Clyne beside me. On the other side of her, you have Mirillia Hawke, Sai Argule, Yzak Joule, Takeshi Izutawa and Cagalli Yula Athha," said Kira.

Mr. Hibiki grew more certain as he noted Cagalli's features: Her blonde hair, her copper coloured eyes etc. _Yes, it is her. But how can that be? Wasn't she and Nyra in Nagoya? _

* * *

**A/N: Yup. I couldn't really think of a name for Cagalli's mom. Does anyone know Kira's mom or dad's name? Because I looked back at Gundam Seed and couldn't find anything other than the Hibiki's. Please review! )**


	20. Revealations

**A/N: Okay, okay, it's short once again, but I did this during my humanities class so I didn't really have that much time and there's not too much relating to this chapter. I'll let the relationship with Takeshi rest for a few chapters and work on Cagalli's mysterious past. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and helped me with the Hibikis' names. XD**

**Questions and Answers:**

**Who's Nyra? Nyra is the name I decided to use for Cagalli's mom. Nyra is different from Via Hibiki and Via Hibiki isn't Cagalli's mom for this fic.**

**Did Cagalli and Kira ever kiss? Not really mouth to mouth kiss, more of just a peck on the cheek/forehead.**

**Since Cagalli and Kira were about to get engaged, why didn't Kira's dad know about it? Ulen was too busy with his head in the clouds to know. Joking! In this fic, Ulen is a astronomy researcher. **

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny, but I wish I did so I can fix that ending of GSD and get Cagalli and Athrun to stay together.

* * *

Chapter 20: Revealations

Kira and his parents waved to Cagalli and the others as they went home. Via Hibiki turned towards Ulen Hibiki. She embraced him tightly. "It's good to have you home," she whispered.

Ulen nodded and smiled. "Yes, it's good to be home," he said.

Then he turned to his son. "That girl, Cagalli, how long have you known her?"

Kira looked at his dad in surprise. "You don't remember? Cagalli was our next door neighbour and my closest friend in Nagoya, that is, until we moved here and you had to go work overseas in America to do research on astrology," said Kira. **(A/N: I know Ulen was a scientist and in Gundam Seed, he wanted Kira to be the ultimate coordinador, but let's just say he studies the galaxy).**

Ulen nodded slowly. "I see. I must have been really busy back then for I cannot remember her," he said.

_Meanwhile with Cagalli, _as she went back inside, she couldn't get the image of Kira's father's gazing and questioning looks. _Why was he looking at me? I could tell he was looking at my appearances, but I wasn't the only one with blonde hair if he was staring at me for that. He had blonde hair too so why was he staring at me?_ The thought never escaped from her curious mind. _I'll ask mom..._ Cagalli went down stairs to the room where her mom worked. She knocked and waited for an answre. "Come in," said a tired voice.

Cagalli went in and saw her mom looked quite fatigued. "Hey, mom, can I ask you something?" Cagalli asked.

Her mom gave her a weak smile and nodded. "Today, I went over to Kira's and I met his dad. His dad seems like a pretty nice person, but he kept giving me strange looks," Cagallli explained.

"What is his first name?" asked Nyra as she looked up from her paper work.

"I think his name was Ulen," said Cagalli. "I was just wondering if you knew him,"

Her mother dropped her pen and it rolled off the table. Cagalli blinked. "D-did you say U-ulen? As in Ulen Hibiki?" Nyra asked as her eyes widened.

Cagalli nodded slowly. "Yeah, he just came home from a six-year work trip. Do you know him? He has blonde hair and ember eyes," she said as she noted her mother's sudden reaction to the name.

Nyra picked up her pen and shook her head. "N-no... I don't know him," she said. I'm going out for some air, I'll be back by 6," she added as she rose from her chair.

"Okay," said Cagalli and she went back up to her room. _Mom's not being entirely truthful. She's hiding something; I can tello. She knows Ulen, yet she does not want to tell me. I could tell by the recognition in her eyes that she is lying. But why? What is mother hiding? I need to find out. _Cagalli looked out her window to see her mom's car driving away. _Here's my chance to find out._ Cagalli ran back down to the office and started to search everything.

She looked up at the photos and saw that most of them were of her and her mom. Cagalli opened up the drawers and slowly lifted each pile of paper. _Nothing! They're all recoreds!_ Cagalli continued. She had exactly one hour before Nyra came back. She frowned in frustration. Cagalli needed to find proof or something that showed that her mom knew Ulen.

_Meanwhile with Nyra Amelia Athha:_ Nyra gazed out to sea on a cliff near the shore. _Why is Ulen here? He promised that we would never have to see each other ever again. And how did I not know that Kira could possibly be Ulen's son. Sure, the name HIbiki is quite common, but I should have seen it coming. Ulen promised me that Cagalli would be protected from the truth and Cagalli is quite smart. She'll put two and two eventually and figure it out in no time._

Nyra sighed. She couldn't tell Cagalli. _I'm so sorry, Cagalli, but it is best if you didn't know the truth that is behind all of this._

_Back to Cagalli: _Cagalli looked everywhere. From her mother's room to the office, but still nothing. She looked at her mother's computer that stored her work and their photos, but there was still nothing there. Cagalli banged her head on the table in frustration. As she did so, her mother's favorite plant fell off the table and the pot was broken into two. Cagalli looked up and groaned. "Terrific. That's just waht I really need!" she muttered sarcastically.

As she bent down to clean up the dirt, she noticed something that was buried underneath the soil. Cagalli got on her knees and gently blew the dirt away to reveal a very dirty golden heart locket. _What's this?_ Curiousity came over her and she opened the little lock. Inside there was a heart shaped picture of her mother in her twenties and a really good-looking man with blonde hair. **(A/N: Since it was in the locket, the picture was well preserved).** Her mother had a really beautiful smile and the two looked happy together in the sunset on the cliff by the sea.

On the other side, there were some letter scratched on it. Cagalli went back to her mother's desk and took a magnifying glass. Cagalli's eyes widened in surprise as she read it. It said, _"Nyra Amelia Athha and Ulen Hibiki together for eternity,"_

"N-no... it can't be..." Cagalli said quietly.

The great grandfather clock in the hallway rang 6 times. "Oh no! Mom's going to be home soon!" said Cagalli as she placed the locket in her pockets and placed the two pieces of broken glass together, hoping that no one would notice. Cagalli then quickly cleaned up the dirt and placed the potted plant between the books so that it would not fall apart. She brushed off her dirtying pants and ran back upstairs to her room. As Cagalli sat on her bed in the dark, tears of both hatred and sorrow formed in her eyes as she realized everything that she discovered today. She had found her father. And her father was Ulen Hibiki, who was also Kira's dad.

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dun! Now we all know that Ulen was supposed to be Cagalli's dad. But what happened and why is Ulen with Kira's mom now? Find out in the next update! X) **


	21. Another Discovery

**A/N: Yay! Another Chapter! Thanks everyone for reviewing! I know this fic isn't as good as some others I've read, but I'm not a good fic writer and this is my first fic, so oh well. XD. Here's another discovery for Cagalli to find out.**

**Disclaimer: Would you believe me if I said I owned Gundam Seed/Destiny? I don't think so, so no I don't

* * *

**

Chapter 21: Another Discovery

Cagalli laid awake in her bed. She had just found out that Ulen Hibiki was her father. _But how? How did he end up with Kira's mom? And why did he leave us? Is Kira my step-brother?_ She could not sleep at all. Cagalli knew if she really needed to know something for sure, she needed to talk to her mom. But clearly, Nyra did not want to talk about it. Cagalli went over to her closet and pulled up the cargo pants that she wore earlier. She fished the locket out of her pocket and turned on the table lamp. _Mom's probably asleep so I shouldn't disturb her._ Cagalli took a tissue and gently cleaned the heart-shaped locket. "Oh mom.." Cagalli murmured quietly.

Nyra Amelia Athha and Ulen looked really happy together, so what went wrong? It was clear that they loved each other very much and yet they broke up. _Mom must have really loved him with all her heart since she still has this. _Cagalli sighed. She decided to get some sleep and worry about it in the morning.

_

* * *

Later: Cagalli got up to found that her mom was already gone to work. She had the house all to herself. __I think I need more information on both mom and Ulen. I'll go check Mom's room_. Cagalli got up and went to Nyra's room. Before going in, Cagalli hesitated for a moment. _If mom knew what I was doing, she wouldn't be happy to find me investigating her room. But I have to know._ Cagalli went inside and looked around. Nyra's room was neat and tidy, unlike her own. There was a large oak table with many drawers and a wooden chair. In the room, it smelled sweet, like her mom's perfume which was lavendar. A large shelf contained many photos and books. Cagalli went over to the shelf and saw a large leather photo album that read, "High School Years" Cagalli got up to found that her mom was already gone to work. She had the house all to herself. . Cagalli got up and went to Nyra's room. Before going in, Cagalli hesitated for a moment. Cagalli went inside and looked around. Nyra's room was neat and tidy, unlike her own. There was a large oak table with many drawers and a wooden chair. In the room, it smelled sweet, like her mom's perfume which was lavendar. A large shelf contained many photos and books. Cagalli went over to the shelf and saw a large leather photo album that read, "High School Years" 

Cagalli decided to pick it up and looked through it. It contained many pictures of teachers and events. _Jeez, there's nothing in here. No Ulen...Hold on!_ Cagalli flipped to the last page which contained a three person photo. There was a younger version of Nyra and the other guys. Cagalli recognized Ulen, but who was the other person? As she looked closer, she saw a familar face. That face resembled Athrun's face, even though this man looked nothing like him. Cagalli took the photo out of the slot and flipped it over. On the back, it read, _Nyra Amelia Athha, Ulen Hibiki and Patrick Zala, friends for life,"_

Cagalli stared at the man who was Patrick Zala. "Patrick Zala... could he be Athrun's father?" she questionned outloud.

Cagalli quickly placed the photo album back in place but pocketed the photo. She went back into her room and got online. On the Tokyo search site, she typed in 'Patrick Zala' and there was only 1 result. Cagalli clicked on it and up came another window. She quickly skimmed it and brought out the important information.

_'Patrick Zala attended Rakuyou High and got married at the age of 23. He had loved a woman however, she did not return his feelings. Several years later, he fell in love with another woman named Lenore. And together, they had a son named Athrun Zala. However, Lenore Zala was assassinated when there was an attack by the terrorist group that contained the Blue Cosmos, an anti-coordinator group. Patrick works at Genesis Corp. and had mysteriously disappeared when his son, whom he loved very much had died in a car accident. He has not been seen since. _**(A/N: The Patrick Zala in this fic is a fatherly one. Unlike the cold and heartless Patrick in Gundam Seed).**

"So, Patrick is Athrun's father. But how did he disappear? Was it suicide? He disappeared when Athrun died. But how can that be?" Cagalli mumbled.

_Everytime I think I found out something to my questions, I get even more questions! I need some air._ Cagalli thought and she quickly erased the computers history of her searching for Patrick. Cagalli decided to go to the Town Square as her mind was too crowded. It was only a ten minute walk from her place.

As her mind was filled with thoughts, she didn't realize where she was walking and walked onto the street on a green light. Cagalli only looked up when someone shouted and saw that there was a car speeding her way. The lights blinded her and she stood there frozen and could not move. Cagalli quickly shut her eyes tight but someone had pushed her out of the way. She opened her eyes and saw a boy with black hair. "T-takeshi?" she blushed.

Takeshi opened his eyes and sighed in relief. "You okay?" he asked as he helped her up.

Cagalli nodded, too stunned to speak. "That's good. You should watch where you're going," said Takeshi.

Cagalli lowered her gaze. "I-i'm s-sorry. I was just thinking," she said.

Takeshi shrugged. "As long as you're safe. What are you up to anyway?" he asked.

"Just finding out some stuff about my past," said Cagalli. "And you?"

Takeshi smiled. "I'm going to my father's café. It's near here. You wanna come? He'd be pleased to meet you," he offered.

Cagalli nodded. "Sure," she said and Takeshi took her to his dad's café.

As they entered, a sweet smell that consisted of food entered Cagalli's mind. However, the place was empty. "It's closed until lunch," said Takeshi as he saw what Cagalli was looking at.

They went to the back of the café. A man passed them and Takeshi ran up to him. "Hey, dad!" he called.

The man turned and smiled. "Hello Takeshi," he said warmly.

Takeshi turned to his side and introduced Cagalli. "This is Cagalli, dad," he said.

Cagalli blinked. There was something familar about this man. And no, it was not that he looked like Takeshi. It was something else. Takeshi's dad held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Cagalli. I've heard a lot about you from Takeshi," he said.

Cagalli took his hand. "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Izutawa," she said as she kept her eyes on him.

They spent sometime talking before Cagalli said she had to go home. During the whole time, she felt Takeshi's Dad's eyes on her. _Jeez, first it's Ulen and now it's Mr. Izutawa! What is it with these people?_ She went home and went to bed. Before she slept, she suddenly knew why Mr. Izutawa looked familar. It was because he had the same face as Patrick Zala. _I need to speak with him privately tomorrow._ And with that, Cagalli dozed off.

_

* * *

Next day after photography class: Cagalli went to the Towns Square and into the café where Mr. Izutawa owned. It was quite popular and many people were there. Cagalli saw Mr. Izutawa walking away from a table and quickly ran up to him. "Mr. Izutawa!" she called._

Takeshi's dad spun around. "Why, hello there, Miss Cagalli. What can I do for you?" he asked as he smiled.

"I was wondering if you had a moment," she said.

Takeshi's dad nodded. "Yes, we'll go into my office," he said and led here there.

"Now, what would you like to speak to me about?" he asked as they sat down.

"Mr. Izutawa-" said Cagalli.

Takeshi's dad nodded once. "Or should I say, Mr. Zala?"

Mr. Izutawa's eyes widened at the name. Cagalli almost smiled. She was right; it was him. But then, was Takeshi Athrun then? "I knew it. It is you," she said.

Mr. Izutawa blinked rapidly. "I-i t-think you're mistaken, I'm Takesh-" he got cut off by Cagalli.

She held out the high school picture that she found in her mother's photo album. "You ARE Patrick Zala, aren't you? The one in this picture," Cagalli said accusingly.

Mr. Izutawa blinked sorrowfully. "Nyra... Ulen.." he murmured quietly as he held the photo.

It was silent for a few moments as Takeshi's dad knew his cover was seen through. "Yes, my real identity is Patrick Zala. But who are you really and how did you know?" he demanded.

Cagalli smiled. _At least I got one thing cleared up._ "My full name is Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of Nyra Amelia Athha," she said.

Mr. Zala's eyes widened. "Athha? Nyra's daughter?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes, I'm Nyra daughter. And I found out when I looked up your portfolio. Your face is the same as Athrun's face," she said.

Mr. Zala blinked again. "Athrun... you knew him?" he asked.

Cagalli nodded once more. "He was my boyfriend. And he still is, if my suspicions are correct and my suspicions are that Takeshi Izutawa IS Athrun Zala," she said.

Mr. Zala sighed. Man this girl was one extraordinary natural. "Why did you change your identities?" Cagalli demanded knowing that she was right once more.

"I needed to change Athrun's identity to protect him from the assassins that took the life of my wife and part of my heart away from me. Athrun was all I had and I couldn't bear to have him taken away from me either. My family has been targeted by the Blue Cosmos for generations and Athrun was still too young to remember the death of his mother and I told him that she fell into a deadly diease. It was much easier to tell it that way. The sooner I changed his idenity, the better. And the chance came when Athrun got in the car accident, only that he wasn't killed. He was just badly injured. I was able to erase his memories and thus Takeshi was born. I also changed my idenity aswell so that Takeshi wouldn't be alone with no family. But how did you know that Takeshi was Athrun?" Mr. Zala asked.

Cagalli stared. His explanation made sense, since Lenore Zala was assassined by the Blue Cosmos. "When I had though Athrun had died. My heart broke. I loved him more than I have ever loved anyone else. I had never really lost hope that he might still be alive and kept an eye out for any mention of his name and well, the first time I met Takeshi, I had mistaken him for Athrun since his voice especially his laugh was the same. But I was mistaken and lost hope once more. But Takeshi was very much like Athrun and I fell in love with him once more. You should tell Takeshi- I mean Athrun who he really is, since he told me that his past was a blurr and spends most of his time trying to remember," she said.

Mr. Zala looked at the ground. "I do regret doing what I did. Maybe I was just selfish because I think Takeshi would rather be Athrun even if he died but the potion that contained memory loss was quite powerful. Only the person that Athrun cared for the most before he took the potion would be able to help him remember. And I take it, that the person he cared most would be you. So you're the only one who can help him regain his memory," he said.

Cagalli's jaw dropped. "Wow.." she said.

"But you can't just tell him that his idenity is Athrun Zala. You have to help him remember the strong memories that you had with him when he was still Athrun," said Mr. Zala.

Cagalli nodded. "I see. I also have one question," she said.

"What is it? I guess after all of my foolish mistakes that hurt both you and Athrun, I'll do anything for you two," said Mr. Zala soberly.

"Did you know my mother and Ulen HIbiki well?" Cagalli asked.

Mr. Zala nodded. "Yes. Your mother was my first love. You see, the high school we went to, consisted mostly of coordinators and she was one of the only naturals. She got bullied and scorned, but she didn't care; Nyra was proud to be a Natural. Ulen, my best friend stuck up for her and I did as well. Eventually, the insults decreased and I fell in love with her. To me, your mother was a strong woman. She did not care of what others thought of her and she was different. However, Nyra fell in love with Ulen, not me. I was unable to get over her until I met Lenore who helped me in every way to heal my heart," he explained.

Cagalli nodded slowly. "I see. So then, was Ulen my father?" she asked.

Mr. Zala blinked. "You mean you don't know if he's your father or not?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head. "I've never known my father. All I know is that Ulen loved my mother, but he's with another woman now," she said.

Mr. Zala frowned. "That is peculiar. Why would Ulen leave Nyra? He loved her with all of his heart," he said, more to himself than to Cagalli.

"I don't know. My suspicions are that Ulen IS my father, but I don't know why he left us," said Cagalli. "I was wondering if you knew, since you were their friend,"

Patrick sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't know. I lost contact with both of them and haven't seen either for many years now after I went travelling around the world with Lenore," he said.

Cagalli nodded and gave a smile. "Well thanks anyway, Mr. Zala. Talking to you helped me out a bit. I'll do my best with Takeshi- I mean Athrun," she said as she stood up.

Patrick stood up too. "I should be the one thanking you. You made me realize that I cannot run forever and that if you could realize who I really was, then others would be able to as well. I'll just have to accept my fate," he said.

Cagalli smiled. "I'll see you later then," she said.

Patrick nodded. "I hope you find out more about your parents. I'll try and see if I can hitch up with Ulen and learn more," he said.

"Thanks. Mom'll be waiting for me back home. Bye," said Cagalli and went out of the café.

_That girl is exactly like Nyra. Both brillant and kind. I really do hope you find out more about your past. Good luck, Cagalli Yula Athha._ Patrick thought as he smiled.

_At home:_ Cagalli held out her notepad and started noting things down.

_1) Mr. Izutawa is acutally Patrick Zala_

_2) Takeshi is Athrun but he doesn't remember anything from his past_

_3) Ulen is supposedly my father, but what happened?_

_4) There must be someone else who is pulling the strings because if Ulen loved my mother very much, he wouldn't have left her._

_5) Kira might be my step-brother_

She sighed. The only problem is, when could she meet Ulen? He's always busy! More and more problems. But at least, she solved a few of them.

* * *

**A/N: More stuff will be revealed in the next chapter and then I'll work things out between Cagalli and Athrun. Thanks for reading!**


	22. Unmasking the Truth

**A/N: Yay! the 22nd chapter is up and ready! I plan to end my fic at chapter 30, so you still have 8 chapters left to look forward to. After that, I'm planning to write another AthrunxCagalli fic since they're my fav couple.**

**Question: So is Cagalli and Kira step siblings?**

**Answer: Yes, they're gonna be step siblings. I couldn't really think of anything to go with the plot from the begining since I had this planned for some other pairing, but thought Kira and Cagalli as step siblings would work, so I did that.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned GS and GSD but I really don't, but that would be so awesome if I did, but I suck at writing plots and stuff like that, so I gotta keep on dreaming. XD

* * *

**

Chapter 22: Unmasking the Truth

Cagalli laid on her bed, unsure of what to do about her situation. She had found out that Ulen Hibiki _was_ her father and that Kira had a high possiblity of being her step brother. She groaned. _I can't believe I was engaged and almost married to my own brother!! I mean, how close was that?!_ She screamed mentally as she turned onto her side. Cagalli knew she had to ask her mother about it. Yet she was also really angry at Nyra for lying to her and keeping all of this from her. Afterall, she was part of this too considering that Ulen was her long lost father.

Cagalli felt mad at both of them. Ulen, because he left them **(A/N: His reasons will be revealed soon)** and left her fatherless. Another reason was that her old best friend is most likely her step brother and that she never knew about all of this. Nyra, because she was supposed to be her mother and not keep anything away from her. Cagalli was hurt because she felt that her mother felt that she could not tell her about their family ties. Cagalli rolled over and groaned again.

_

* * *

Meanwhile: Nyra Amelia Athha got up form her work table and looked at her calendar. It was time to water her favorite mini tree plant. However, not knowing that Cagalli had accidentally broken it, water seeped out form the pot and the pot was still in two. Nyra blinked in confusion. __What happened to my baby tree?_ She immediately liad down her potted plant or what was left of the potted plant on the table and immediated searched through the soft soil, looking for something special to her. Nyra found it to be missing. _It's gone. Cagalli must have found it.._ The thought hit her like a flying bullet. _Then she must know about him.._ Nyra left her office and quickly ran upstairs. "Cagalli!" she called as she knocked swiftly on her daughter's door. Nyra Amelia Athha got up form her work table and looked at her calendar. It was time to water her favorite mini tree plant. However, not knowing that Cagalli had accidentally broken it, water seeped out form the pot and the pot was still in two. Nyra blinked in confusion. She immediately liad down her potted plant or what was left of the potted plant on the table and immediated searched through the soft soil, looking for something special to her. Nyra found it to be missing. The thought hit her like a flying bullet. Nyra left her office and quickly ran upstairs. "Cagalli!" she called as she knocked swiftly on her daughter's door. 

The door opened to reveal a pissed-looking blonde. Nyra's face softened. "Listen, we need to talk. May I come in?" she asked gently.

Cagalli's eyes narrowed, knowing full well what her mother wanted to talk about. But this was also her chance to learn more, so she nodded and Nyra sat on her chair facing the blonde. Nyra took a deep breath. "Cagalli, you must now have known about.. y-your father, Ulen," she began.

Cagalli shot her mother an angry look. "Well, no duh," she said impatiently.

Nyra ignored the tone in Cagalli's voice. "And you might have guess that Kira is your step-brother, which he is and that it was an accident when you two got engaged," she said.

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "It's not like I don't already know that, mom," she said.

Nyra stood up, loosing her patience. "Cagalli! What is wrong with you?! I'm trying to have your forgiveness for lying to you, but you're not giving it!" she said.

Cagalli stood up as well. "Well this wouldn't have happened if **_you_ **didn't lie to me in the first place about not knowing Ulen," she argued.

"Didn't you know that I just wanted to protect you from the truth? I just didn't want to cause you any harm," said Nyra as her grey-blue eyes met Cagalli's honey brown ones.

"Well it's too late. I've already been hurt. And it's not by the fact that Ulen is my father. _You _are the one that hurt me," said Cagalli angrily.

Nyra's eyes widened. "Cagalli?" she said quietly, clearly not knowing the damage she accidentally caused.

"I've been hurt because you felt that I could not handle the truth! You felt that I couldn't, didn't you?!" Cagalli shouted.

Nyra said nothing and she dropped her arms. "Well mom, I'm not your little daughter anymore! I can look after myself just as fine without you!" Cagalli shouted and ran out the door, having Robs, her mini robotic tiger run after her.

"Cagalli! I didn't mean it!" Nyra shouted as she saw her daughter run, but it was already too late, Cagalli was far away to have heard her.

Cagalli kept on running and never stopped. Robs did not either. Cagalli panted heavily, with her face covered with perspiration as she slowed down by the ocean. Robs stood beside her and mewed softly. Several tears fell down Cagalli's cheek as she picked Robs up. "Oh Robs..." she began quietly while her tears dropped onto the metallic tiger's face.

The tiger patted her cheek lovingly. "What am I going to do with myself? I didn't mean to make mother mad; it's just that my feelings came pouring out of me. Now mother doesn't want me around..." Cagalli sniffled.

Robs mewed sadly as he watched his owner cry softly and knew he couldn't do anything to make her happier. He rubbed his metallic little head on her cheek. "I don't know what to do anymore... I can't go home now..." Cagalli mumbled quietly as she looked up to see a clear sky.

_

* * *

Meanwhile with Nyra: Nyra sat at her coffee table looking sadly at her empty house. __She'll come back, won't she?_ the thought entered her mind and stayed there for a long moment. Nyra touched her right shoulder and winced as she remembered the wound that took forever to heal. The wound that was made by a knife healed and became a scar. But scars lasted forever and were always visible. Unlike her scarred heart. That would never heal. No matter how many scars would heal its deep wounds, nothing would ever change or heal. She sighed. _I promised myself 19 years ago that I would never think about this ever again, for Cagalli's sake. But my silenceness had wounded her more than I have ever imagined. And this all happened because of me. Because I am a Natural. _Nyra sat at her coffee table looking sadly at her empty house. the thought entered her mind and stayed there for a long moment. Nyra touched her right shoulder and winced as she remembered the wound that took forever to heal. The wound that was made by a knife healed and became a scar. But scars lasted forever and were always visible. Unlike her scarred heart. That would never heal. No matter how many scars would heal its deep wounds, nothing would ever change or heal. She sighed. _

* * *

Back to Cagalli: As she sat there on a bench gazing out to sea, with Robs at her side she did not notice the presence of another person. "May I have a seat next to you?" Cagalli's ears perked._

The voice was smooth and calm. She turned her head to meet golden orbs like her own. "You..." she said quietly, her eyes narrowing.

It was Ulen Hibiki; her father. He took a seat next to her anyway. "Yes, it's me. Your father," he said.

Cagalli focused her eyes out to sea. "The sea is beautiful, isn't it?" asked Ulen as he turned towards her.

Cagalli said nothing. Part of her hated her father, but the other part longed to be with this man that she could call father. Ulen spoke first. "Do you want to know the complete truth, Cagalli?" he asked softly.

Cagalli looked surprised. It was the first time that Ulen Hibiki had said her name outloud. She was certain. "Yes," she said.

Ulen Hibiki sighed. "Well this is going to be a long one," he said as he gazed out to sea.

"I don't care. Don't miss out on anything," said Cagalli quietly as she looked in the eyes of her father.

"It all started when your mother and I finished college," said Ulen Hibiki. **(A/N: His story will be told in a flashback while telling it to Cagalli)**

**

* * *

Flashback:**

_Ulen and Nyra looked out to the sea on a similar spot in Nagoya. "Nyra, I had promised you to wed you right after we both finished college and now I plan to complete it," said Ulen as he looked deep into Nyra's grey-blue eyes. _

_"I've loved you for so many years now and I feel that this time is right. I'll have to ask father first, but I am sure he will say yes. Will you marry me?" asked Ulen as he held out a small blue box. _

_Nyra's eyes filled with tears. She had waited so long for him to ask this and now he finally did. She gave him a really big hug. "Yes, Ulen, I'll marry you and nothing will tore us apart. That is my promise," she had said._

_The night before Ulen decided to ask his father, he got really nervous. Instead of going home, he went to Nyra's **(A/N: Nyra's parents died in a fire and she had to fend for herself, therefore she lived alone in her apartment)**. She had calmed him down by sleeping with him. **(A/N: Not going to add much detail here as I prefer the rating to stay the same, but yeah, they had sex)** However, on the day that Ulen took Nyra to meet his father, it was a terrible mistake. "Father, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Nyra Amelia Athha," said Ulen as he faced his dad who eyed Nyra with distaste._

_"And I wanted to ask, if I can marry her. Afterall I love her with all of my heart and she feels the same way about me," Ulen was blushing crimson, but he was determined to marry the one he loved most._

_Nyra silently gulped as she felt Mr. Hibiki's cold black eyes focus on her. "No," was Mr. Hibiki's answer._

_Nyra felt her heart break. Ulen was livid. "What?!" he yelled._

_"I said, my answer is no," Mr. Hibiki replied cooly._

_Ulen gripped her father's jacket collar. "But why?!" he demanded._

_Mr. Hibiki gave his son an ice piercing look. "That girl you have been associating with is a Natural! A dirty, filthy, no good Natural! Are you out of your mind?! You deserve someone much better than she is," he roared._

_Nyra stood there. She wished she could stand up for herself the way she did back in high school when the freshmen teased her about her being a Natural. But in this case it was different. The words struck her like gigantic ice spears. It hurt so much. No words could come out of her mouth as she stood there staring at Ulen with shocked eyes. "But father! I love her so much! You can't just say that since she's a Natural that I cannot love her!" Ulen countered fiercely._

_"For your foolishness, you shall be punished," said Mr. Hibiki as he drew a sharp knife._

_He threw it hard and fast at Ulen, who seemed to be frozen in place after his father said that he could not marry Nyra. "Ulen!" Nyra screamed as she ran and pushed him out of the way._

_Ulen landed roughly onto the ground with blood all over him. He snapped out of his daze and saw that Nyra was over him and that blood was spilling out of her right shoulder, where the knife struck her. "N-nyra? But why?" he asked as he sat up and held her close to him._

_Nyra looked up painfully, with her eyes full of tears. "I-i couldn't let the one I loved most get hurt," she had said._

**

* * *

End of Flashback.**

"She came out of the hospital a month later, with her right shoulder healed, but I couldn't forgive myself for being so stupid and I couldn't risk Nyra getting hurt anymore because of me, so we stopped seeing each other," Ulen said, finishing his story.

Cagalli stared. "I see. But if you really loved her, you would stay by her forever, not breaking up like the way that you did," she said.

Ulen lowered his eyes. "It may have been better, but at that moment, if she had had died, I would not be able to live either. So it was best to stopped seeing each other. It was so terribly lonely without her, afterall, Nyra was the love of my life. That is, until I met my co-worker, Via, who was the one who helped me feel loved once more," he admitted.

"But why did your father have such a deep grudge for Naturals? I mean, we never did anybody harm," Cagalli demanded.

Ulen sighed. "_You_ might not have, but some other naturals did. They, the Blue Cosmos, hated and dispised us, coordinators for our enhanced abilities. They made a big mess of everything by starting a terrorist attack on killing all coordinators. Mother was killed in that war and left me motherless. Father loved my mother very much and he used to be a caring person, but as she was killed in that incident, it left a big black hole in his heart. That was why he hated all Naturals. Even though I hated the people who killed Mother, I know that most of the Naturals are really good people. Like you and your mother," he explained.

"So it's true then, Kira is my step-brother," said Cagalli as the sun started to set.

Ulen nodded. "Yes. I'm very sorry about the whole engagement thing. I was so busy in my work that I didn't really know about it. I hope you will forgive me," he said.

"I don't know. Have you spoken to my mother after all that time?" Cagalli asked.

Ulen shook his head. "No I haven't," he said.

Cagalli stood up. "Well I won't forgive you until you make up with her," she said.

Ulen stood up too and ruffled his daughter's hair. Cagalli scowled. "You're just like Nyra; your stubborn attitude, but you got your looks from me. Alright, I will speak to your mother," he said, smiling.

Cagalli nodded. "Okay," she said.

"Now, you better go on home before she worries about you," said Ulen and Robs mewed quietly.

"Okay, let's go home Robs. I'll see you later, father," said Cagalli and she ran back home.

Ulen stood there as he watched her daughter leave. _Amazing, she is Nyra's daughter alright. _He smiled and went his own way home.

* * *

**A/N: Well there you go! I'll work things out between her mom and her and then I'll work with Takeshi/Athrun. I think the end will be a little dramatic, but not completely sure. Can't promise anything! Sorry for any grammatical mistakes or screw ups, I had to upload it quickly. And I would like to thank all those who reviewed at least once in this fic:**

**zXia0RayZz, Cari-Akira, MetalPunkHottie, Angelite Phoenix, AsuCaga Freak, Jade Valentine, Soen, Aya Schroider, the fighting princess, Inulover4eva, Kathya, akidarchangel princess, athrucaga-centric, naiyobi and my anon people**

**I know it doesn't seem like a lot of people, but thanks to you guys, I kept on writing, even if some parts were kinda boring. Once again, thanks for routing me on. Xp**

************


	23. Memories

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm sooo sorry I haven't posted in the what... past three weeks! Gomenai sai! My relatives were staying for the past two weeks so I didn't have much time for updating. And during the last week, we had many projects for school before the break. But now and the next two weeks, I'll be free, so I'll probably finish up the fic in the next two weeks! Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned GS/GSD I would so totally let Athrun and Cagalli be together, but NO I don't own it, so I can't. :(**

**Some questions on the story so far:**

**Whatever happened to athrun's green eyes? Answer: Patrick made him wear contacts.**

**Why was Patrick Zala searchable in the search engine? And why so much personal info? Answer: Patrick worked as president for Genesis Corp, which is a really big company for research in science. So more or less, he's a famous scientist. Since he's so famous, a lot of his personal info got out to the public when he was once seen with Lenore.**

**What is it with potions that make you barf and lose your memories? Well since Patrick was a really famous scientist, he made a formula for Athrun so that Athrun (well in his eyes) would be safe from harm. Yeah, you're right. It doesn't really sound realistic, but don't forget, they're in an advanced civilisation and I think GS/GSD works better in the future.**

**Well about the Patrick spilling out the truth to Cagalli is well, kinda strange. He was so shocked to see his best friends' faces and the one he once loved, he accidentally let it slip, though Cagalli was the first one who he confessed to because even though Cagalli ressembled Ulen, her mind was as sharp as Nyra's and her actions were like Nyra's too. If you guys didn't like it, I'll redo that part, but the confession will be more or less the same. :)**

**Any more? Just let me know and I'll clear things up for ya.**

**

* * *

Chapter 23: Memories**

As Cagalli entered her warm house, she met her mother in the dining room, who looked quite sad. "Mom..." Cagalli began.

Nyra looked up sadly at her daughter. "Look, I'm really sorry about our arguement earlier. I didn't really understand everything. I-i guess some things were better to be unsaid," said Cagalli as she reddened in embarassment.

Nyra's eyes were soon filled with tears as she got up and embraced her daughter tightly. "Mom?" Cagalli asked as she was surprised by her mother's actions.

"I was afraid to lose another person I loved dearly. I had lost my parents in a fire when I was 10 with only a few burns and I had lost Ulen too. And then today, I was so afraid that you would leave me too," Nyra admitted quietly.

Cagalli patted her gently, feeling as if she was the parent and that Nyra was the teenager. "Mom, I would never leave you," she whispered.

Nyra eventually calmed down somewhat. "So, did you talk to Ulen?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes, I had met him at the cliff near the shore," she said. "I asked him to tell me everything and he did. I had no idea what you went through, mom," she added.

Nyra gave her daughter a weak smile. "It seems that you've finally met your father, Cagalli," said Nyra.

Cagalli nodded again. "Yes, he's a really kind person. I can see how you fell in love with him," she said.

Nyra smiled a sad one. "yes, but it was a short relationship," she sighed.

Cagalli fell silent. She didn't know how to answer her. "Well anyway, enough of this. Don't you have photography class tomorrow? You should get your things ready," said Nyra. **(A/N: They had an one-week spring break, just to let you know. XD)**

Cagalli nodded. "Okay," she said and went up to prepare for what she was going to do tomorrow, which was to get Takeshi back to his former self.

_The next day..._ Cagalli waited after class for Takeshi. THe moment he came out, she ran up to him. "Hey Takeshi, do you want to hang out?" Cagalli asked.

Takeshi turned and smile. "Sure, I don't work today, so why not?" he said.

Cagalli smiled back. This was her chance to bring the old Athrun back. They got into his silver porsche carrera GT and drove to the Town Square. They went into a café. "Takeshi, I know you don't remember much from your past, but could you please try? There is something that keeps bothering me," she said.

Takeshi closed his eyes, waiting for something to appear. Then all of a sudden, in his mind, he heard distant music while watching two teenagers, a blonde and a raven-haired walking along the shore. He stood there watching them like a ghost and saw them looking at the clear evening sky. "Look, Athrun! A falling star!" the girl whispered.

Takeshi watched in confusion. _Who's Athrun? And why does that name sound so familar? Is it that boy's name?_ he wondered. "Cagalli, close your eyes and make a wish," said the boy who Takeshi supposed to be Athrun.

_"I wish that we can be together forever,"_ said a voice in Takeshi's head.

Takeshi spun around, clearly surprised. "W-who's there?! Show yourself!" Takeshi shouted as his surroundings changed into darkness.

_Where am I? Is this my inner mind? Or is it my soul?_ A boy with midnight blue hair casullay walked out. Takeshi stared at him. It was the boy from before. The boy that he kept having visions of. "Who are you and why do you keep haunting me?!" Takeshi demanded.

The other boy looked sad. "You should know, Takeshi," he said.

Takeshi stepped back. _I should know you? But how? I've never met you, not even in my dreams before I met Cagalli! _The boy known as Athrun stepped closer. "You know me through yourself, Takeshi," he said.

Takeshi blinked. _Know you through myself?_ Athrun nodded as if reading his mind. "Whether you accept it or now, you can't change the fact that I, Athrun Zala and you are one person. Keep it in mind," he said and the darkness swallowed him.

"Takeshi?" said a concerned voice.

Takeshi groaned and opened his eyes to find that he had passed out onto the table. He lifted his head which felt like someone shot a bullet through. "Takeshi? Are you okay?" asked the same voice.

Takeshi blinked. Honey brown eyes stared into his chocolate brown ones. He gave a weak smile, not knowing whether to believe his visions or not. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry if I worried you," he said.

Cagalli smiled in relief. "It's okay. You did worry me for a minute there. Are you sure you're alright? We can go if you want," she said.

Takeshi shook his head. "Nah, let's talk," he said.

_I want to know who I truly am... if I am this 'Athrun'._ "Can you tell me who 'Athrun' was? I recall the first time meeting you, you called me by that name," said Takeshi, choosing his words carefully.

Cagalli blinked. _Does Takeshi know who he really is or is he really just curious? _She smiled. "Athrun was my ex-boyfriend before Kira. Even though I knew him for less than a year, he was always good to me. I loved him very much, but out love was short. I was in highschool then and made it onto the track team. We would be going to Korea to compete. But on the day before I went, he gave me a emerald pendant for lending him my watch. On the day that I left for the airport, Athrun remembered that he still had my watch and sadly, he was blinded to a speeding car and well... he's dead. But since we were so close, I can still sense his spirit that he is still around and I won't lose hope to see him again," she explained.

Takeshi nodded slowly. "I see. Why did you first think I was Athrun?" he questionned.

Cagalli smiled. "Well, Athrun had dark midnight blue hair and from far away, your hair looks somewhat the same. Athrun had emerald eyes taht always sparkled with warmness. He was quite handsome and many girls in our highschool chased after him. But it was your voice; your laugh that made me convinced that Athrun had truly came back from the dead," she said as she sipped her soda.

Takeshi grinned. "So since I look like him, I take it I'm just as handsome?" he said teasingly.

Cagalli grinned sheepishly and had a light blush on her cheeks. Takeshi's smile faded as he looked at her seriously. "If Athrun really was alive, would you choose me over him?" he asked.

Cagalli stared at him. "Would you?" Takeshi repeated.

Cagalli was silent for a moment and then answered, "Yes, I would choose you over Athrun because even though he was a good man and a close friend, no one can replace you. You're special to me. You care for me in a way that Athrun hasn't done, not that he wasn't kind. You were there for me through all of the good and bad times. To me, you're as good as Athrun was or maybe even better. You're the one that I truly love, Takeshi," she said.

Takeshi was a bit shocked. He swallowed. "I-i see..." he said.

Cagalli smiled. "Well, do you want to go to the beach?" she asked as they were finished eating.

Takeshi shrugged. "Sure," he said, knowing full well what beach Cagalli had in mind.

_At the beach:_ Cagalli and Takeshi got out of the car and stared at the ocean which looked like it went on forever. "This place is special to you, isn't it, Cagalli?" Takeshi asked as he followed her gaze.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes. Athrun and I came here a lot. If you listen, you can hear the waves crash against the rocky cliffs," she said as she closed her eyes and listened.

Takeshi did the same. It sounded peaceful and without a care. It was also enchanting. He would have remained like that if Cagalli hadn't spoken. "Let's go take a walk, Takeshi," she said as she walked a few paces from him.

He smiled. "Hey!" he said laughing.

Cagalli smiled as she ran. "You have to catch me," she said happily as Takeshi chased after her.

"Cagalli! Wait up!" Takeshi laughed.

Cagalli suddenly stopped. Takeshi caught up to her. "Cagalli?" he had a questionning look.

She smiled as strong as she could. "Oh it's nothing," she said.

_He is Athrun and very close to it too as Athrun would always run behind me saying that same sentence while laughing. I wonder if I can bring the old Athrun back..._ Cagalli thought. "Hey look! The sun is about to set," said Takeshi.

Cagalli looked out to where Takeshi pointed. The sun was starting to set. "Let's go back up and watch it go down," Takeshi suggested.

Cagalli smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said and the two went higher.

As they watched the sun set, Cagalli couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She really wanted to bring Athrun back, but it seemed that it wasn't going to happen. _I could always do it later... but each time I mess up, it feels like Athrun is slipping from my grasp..._ she thought sadly. Takeshi was in a trance. _Today, that boy told me my real identity is Athrun Zala. Am I really him? _he asked himself as he explored his mind, trying to find any memories he could bring up.

_They're all so distant. If my identity is really Athrun Zala, then why and how did I lose all of my memories? _he asked himself in his mind. _I need to find out more about myself before I can confess to Cagalli._

Cagalli stood up. "Takeshi, let's go. It's getting late," she said as she blinked back tears.

Takeshi smiled weakily. "Okay," he said and they got back into his car.

As he dropped her off at her house, they hugged each other and said good night. Takeshi sighed as he reached his house. His father would be home late tonight so he had the house tonight. Takeshi stepped out onto his balconey and looked up at the night sky. He sighed. "Cagalli, I'm sorry to keeping you waiting, but I'll have to ask that you wait just a little while longer. I promise you that I'll be back very soon," he said quietly as the spring breeze blew past him.

* * *

**A/N: That's it for now but I promise I'll update very shortly this time and I'll try to make it longer. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and those who read:D**


	24. Someone Familar

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope y'all had a Merry Christmas! I promised that I would update soon and here we go! It's all about Athrun/Takeshi in this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! Oh by the way, I wrote a new fanfic. It's called Don't Leave Me. It's all from the eyes of Melanie, Cagalli's and Athrun's eight year old daughter. Please stop by if you have time. I'll update both stories soon.**

**You wouldn't believe me if I said I owned Gundam Seed/Destiny, would ya? Nah, I didn't think so either. Besides, I'm not as brillant as the people who came up with the series.**

**

* * *

Chapter 24: Someone Familar **

As the phone rang, Cagalli went out of her room to answer it. "Hello? Cagalli here," she said.

"Cagalli," said a familar voice.

Cagalli blinked. "Takeshi? What's up?" she asked.

Takeshi, who was in his room looked down at his floor. It had taken him a few hours to think things through. "Oh nothing. I won't be here for the week. I'm going on a small vacation," he said.

Cagalli smiled. "Wasn't spring break enough? And why aren't you bringing me?" she said, jokingly.

Takeshi blushed. "O-oh well I just needed to find something out about my past. I promise I'll bring you somewhere the next time I go on a vacation," he promised.

Cagalli nodded. "Okay. I'll tell Mr.Izuno that you won't be here," she said.

Takeshi smiled. "Thanks, Cagalli. I love you," he said as he blushed again in the darkness of his room.

"I love you too, Takeshi. Come back soon," said Cagalli as she also blushed.

"I will, as soon as I'm finished looking for what I'm searching for. I'll see you later then, bye," said Takeshi and he hung up.

_Cagalli, I'm going to find the truth about myself. Until I am able to identify myself, I feel that I cannot face you. I'll be back as soon as I can._ Takeshi got out of his room and went over to his dad's room to make sure that his dad was still asleep. _Good. I can go without any questions. _Takeshi quickly wrote a note explaining his absence and that he would be back in less than a week. He grabbed his suitcase that was packed with his clothing and his wallet. Takeshi took a quick look at his house and left.

Takeshi got on a taxi that took him to the other side of Tokyo where his memories with Cagalli began when he was Athrun. He had everything planned. He had made a reservation at a hotel to stay at while he could begin his research. Takeshi paid the taxi driver and went inside the hotel. He went up to the counter. "Hi, I made a reservation earlier," he said to the lady who seemed in her 30's.

The lady nodded. "What is your name, sir?" she asked as she faced him.

"Izutawa Takeshi," he replied and the lady looked up his name on the hotel computer.

"Yes, you did make a reservation earlier. Your room is number 507 and it is on the fifth floor. Here is your room key," said the lady as she took out a small copper key.

Takeshi grinned and took it. "Thanks," he said and he got onto an elevator that took him to the fifth floor.

"504...505...506... Ah, 507!" Takeshi mumbled as he laid down his things and opened the door to his room.

Inside was a regular hotel room. It had a king sized bed with a small tv set in front of it. The bathroom was close to the bed as well. "Not bad," said Takeshi as he dumped his things on the floor.

After he got most of his things unpacked, he got up his laptop. He searched on the web for every high school in Tokyo. _I'll start off with the school that Cagalli and Athrun went to. It might be my only lead,_ he decided as the list of high schools in Tokyo showed up with at least 120 results in alphabetical order. "Oh wow... there's so many," Takeshi murmured.

_Agh! I'll never find the right school. _He thought as he began to lose some hope. But Cagalli's smiling face came into view. _Cagalli... _he thought as he felt that he had to go on for her. _I cannot love you to my limit until I know my true idenity... What should I do?_ As if a ghost had whispered into his ear, he got an idea. _Hold on, Cagalli's currently 19 and Athrun was the same age as she was. So she gratuated last year. Even though Athrun didn't complete school, they must still have some information on him._ He thought as he started to find the schools with gratuates from last year with the last name starting with "A".

After what seemed to be hours, he finally came upon Shinto High, the school that Cagalli and Athrun attended. Takeshi cheered silently. He looked up the address and cheered again. "Okay, luckily for me, the school isn't too far from here. I'll go check it out tomorrow after school since it's a weekday," he said, proud with his work and went to sleep.

_The next day at 3:00 pm: _Takeshi stood in font of a very large school. Many kids were going home while some still stayed behind. He decided not to go in just yet and he looked around the school. Just being here cleared up some of his memories of school. Takeshi went down to the field where he just barely remembered that Cagalli used to run here for the track. He sat on the very spot he sat three years ago. As Takeshi closed his eyes, he could see some memories he had while he cheered her on._ "You can do it, Cagalli!" called out a familar voice to his own._

_Cagalli had shot him a quick smile and ran with all her might until she reached her goal: first place on the track team._ Takeshi smiled, but came back to reality. _Cagalli, you're so strong. You never give up and you keep on going forward. You haven't changed in three long years._ Takeshi got up and walked into the forest that was behind the school. He felt strong emotions here that belonged to his olderself and his beloved. Takeshi kept on walking, admiring the beauty the forest held that Cagalli had admired too. It was spring and the trees were blooming. The only difference was back then, it was autumn, not spring. Takeshi stopped as he saw the place where he first got a real conversation with Cagalli. "I remember..." Takeshi murmured quietly as he went closer to the wooden bench and sat down.

**

* * *

Flashback:_ I was eating lunch when a blonde girl walked into the place that I treasured. She turned back when she saw that I was here already, but I called out to her anyway. "Hey Cagalli!" I said when I recognised her delicate face._ **

_She turned around and saw that I was the one who called her. "Oh hi," she had said as she came closer._

_I had invited her to sit and eat with me, only to find out that she didn't bring her lunch. I had offered mine to share with her, even at the time, I was a little hungry. But she looked like she needed to eat. But she had kindly refused, saying that I needed to eat as well. I had interrupted her by giving her a taste of my home cooking. She had been surprised when she tasted that it was pretty good. I had laughed and asked her what she thought of Tokyo and she replied, "It's really big. Bigger than Nagoya. And it's quite busy too," _

_At that time, the autumn wind blew past us and I saw that she was a kind girl. Her face said it all. I smiled back in return and since that day, we became good friends._

**

* * *

End of FlashBack. **

**(A/N: Okay, it was their second time being together because in Chapter 2, Athrun had helped her when Meer tripped her. But they didn't really talk a lot there, so here, they actually got a conversation started.)** Takeshi sighed as he laid down. _I wish I could remember everything, but I cannot for most of my memories are still not clear to me._ His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a girl scream for help. As quick as a flash, Takeshi got up and ran towards the direction where he heard someone scream. He ran faster and faster than any normal human because he was a coordinator. He soon came upon a very tall and muscular guy who was with a young girl. Takeshi could see that the boy was trying to force himself on her. "Someone please help!" the girl cried out.

The voice was familar to Takeshi as he heard it somewhere before. Without hesitation, he went up to the other guy and tapped him on the shoulder. The other guy turned around and stared at him. "Whaddaya want?" he growled.

He had a low deep voice that would be menacing, but Takeshi wasn't afraid. "Leave that girl alone," he said.

The other guy lowered his eyes. "What ditcha say?" he growled.

Takeshi gave him a cold glare. "I said, leave her alone," he repeated.

"Make me," the boy challenged.

Takeshi smirked. "Gladly," he said and socked him in the face.

The boy winced but fought back. Takeshi dodged most of the swift punches but one struck his shoulder. Takeshi winced. The girl looked between the two fearfully. Takeshi gave the girl a quick smile. "Don't worry, I'll handle him," he said as he countered with a swift kick to the boy's chest.

The boy grunted as he fell hard. "Had enough?" Takeshi questionned as he readied himself for more.

The boy got back up and glared at Takeshi. "Yeah yeah, keep on glaring. But if I ever see you again, I'll really let you have it," said Takeshi as the boy backed off and went away.

He turned to the girl who looked at him. "Are you okay?" Takeshi asked.

"I'm fine. T-thank you.." she said.

Takeshi smiled. "No problem," he said as he started to walk away.

The girl suddenly gasped. "A-athrun?!" she shouted.

**

* * *

A/N: Well there we go! Who's the girl and why is she familar to Takeshi? And how does she know who Athrun is? Give me your guesses! I'll update by New Years! **


	25. The Truth

**A/N: I am SO SORRY! I haven't updated for over a month! My internet access was blocked and it took a VERY long time to get it back working! But in the mean time, I got this chapter done! Lots revealed here. **

_

* * *

_

_Previously__: He turned to the girl who looked at him. "Are you okay?" Takeshi asked. "I'm fine. T-thank you.." she said. Takeshi smiled. "No problem," he said as he started to walk away. The girl suddenly gasped. "A-athrun?!" she shouted._

Chapter 25: The truth

Takeshi spun around as he stared at her in shock. "Athrun?" he repeated surprised that the girl in front of him would know his previous idenity.

The girl looked down ashamed. "I-i'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," she said quietly.

Takeshi smiled. "It's okay. I've been mistaken for him before. Anyway, you knew Athrun Zala, is that correct?" he said.

The girl looked up at him in wonder. "Yes, I did. He was a good friend of mine," she said.

Takeshi nodded once. "I see. I'm trying to find out more about this 'Athrun'. Would you mind helping me by telling me what you know about him?" he asked.

The red headed girl thought it over and finally nodded. "Alright, since you saved me from that jackass," she said.

Takeshi smiled as they headed towards his special place. "My name is Hawke, Meyrin, if you were wondering," said the red head.

"I'm Izutawa, Takeshi," Takeshi replied as they reached the clearing and the two sat down.

"Well what do you want to know about Athrun?" Meyrin asked.

Takeshi shrugged. "Anything. Maybe start off with how you met him?" he suggested.

Meyrin nodded. "Okay. It went like this..."

**_

* * *

Flashback: __Fourteen year old Meyrin walked happily with her fifteen year old sister, Lunamaria and Mia Campbell. As they walked, Mia suddenly stopped, causing Lunamaria and Meyrin to run into her. "Mia, what's up?" Lunamaria had asked._ **

_Mia smiled dreamily. "See that boy over there? The one with the midnight blue hair and emerald green eyes?" she asked._

_Lunamaria nodded. "Yeah, he's totally handsome," she said as she started to understand what Mia was thinking._

_"I overheard that his name is Athrun Zala. Don't you think that is the perfect name?" Mia had giggled._

_Meyrin looked back and forth between her two friends. Then she looked at the boy they were talking about. He was pretty cute. Meyrin blushed slightly. "B-but I don't think he'll be interested in us, Mia," she said quietly._

_Mia gave her a look that clearly said that she didn't care what she thought. "I'll make him mine and eventually he'll fall for me," she had said._

_**End of Flashback.**_

* * *

"...But in the end, Mia's plans all failed when Cagalli came to our school several months later. Athrun came to love her and she returned his feelings. I admit, at first I was a little jealous of Cagalli, but in the end, I found out that Cagalli deserved Athrun more than I did," said Meyrin. 

Then she turned to Takeshi with a forgetful expression. Takeshi smiled. "Don't worry, I know who Cagalli is," he said kindly.

Meyrin gave a small smile. Takeshi grinned. "Please continue," he said.

"Well even though their love was quite short, it wasn't a glass half empty. Each moment was cherished. But when Cagalli and I had to leave for Korea, Cagalli had received a call from her friend, Kira who told her that Athrun was in an accident. Of course she came back, but Athrun had already been transferred by his father, Patrick Zala," said Meyrin sadly.

"I see... so Athrun's dead then?" Takeshi questionned, knowing that he isn't.

Meyrin nodded sadly. "Yes... he died three years ago," she answered.

Takeshi looked out to the peaceful forest. _Athrun died three years ago while before I met Cagalli, I only had three years of memories because my father to- hold on..._ "What happened to his father, Patrick Zala?" he asked sharply.

Meyrin looked up. "I don't really know. He just disappeared right after Athrun died. Some say that he couldn't take the death of his son and killed himself, but his body was never found so that a burial was never performed," she said.

Takeshi frowned in concertration. _I am Athrun so 'Athrun' never really died. And if I didn't die, then what happened to Patrick Zala? Those rumors about him commiting suicide cannot be true because if he killed himself because I had died, then why am I still alive? There are some leads behind this and I bet if I found out more about Patrick Zala, then I can get down to the truth behind my past and my former self. _He was brought back to reality when Meyrin called his name. "H-huh? Oh sorry, I guess I sorta zoned out," he said.

Meyrin looked at him curiously. "Anyway, why did you want to know about Athrun Zala for?" she asked.

Takeshi looked at her nervously. "W-well.. you're the second person to mistake me for him. The first person to do that was my girlfriend Cagalli so I decided to find out more about this ex-boyfriend of hers," he said, which was partly true.

Meyrin looked at him in shock. "Y-you mean that Cagalli is your GIRLFRIEND?" she asked, not sure if she could believe this stranger who yet somehow felt familar in an unexpected way.

Takeshi blushed. "Yeah, I met her in Photography school," he said.

Meyrin nodded. "I see. So why didn't you ask Cagalli about Athrun then? I'm sure that she'd be able to answer your questions," she said.

Takeshi turned red slightly. "W-well, she's very busy at the moment and that I didn't want to hurt her by bringing up old memories of her ex," he lied.

Meyrin smiled. "Even though I just met you, I think that you're like Athrun is some ways; you're both extremely kind and thoughtful for others," she said.

Takeshi smiled as he blushed. "Thanks," he said.

Meyrin got up. "It was nice talking to you, but I have to go. My sister Lunamaria is probably waiting for me," she said.

Takeshi nodded. "Okay. I'll see you then," he said as he turned to go.

Meyrin smiled. "See you," she said as she ran away from the peaceful forest.

Takeshi went back to the hotel he was staying at and got onto his laptop. He typed in the words, Patrick Zala and found 1 result. **(A/N: It had the same info that Cagalli found when she was looking for him, so I'll skip writing that down again)** Takeshi leaned back on his chair after he read all of it. _Hmm... in this article it says Patrick had 'mysteriously disappeared, when 'I' had died... and that his wife was assassinated too. But I don't have a mother either. Could Patrick Zala be my father since I really am Athrun Zala?_ Takeshi thought. Then he smiled. "I guess I was lucky to have ran into one of Cagalli's old friends. She had answered a lot of my questions," he said.

His smiled slid from his face as a frown took over. _If my father really is Patrick Zala, why did he change our identies? Cagalli had been hurt in the process when she had thought that I, Athrun Zala had died. She had suffered so much and it is all of my fault. Father... when I get back, you better have a good reason..._ he thought before he fell asleep.

_

* * *

Meanwhile with Cagalli... she stood looking outside her window as she saw a car pull in. She went downstairs as she heard the door bell ring. "Coming!" she said as she opened the door to reveal Kira and his parents. _

"Oh hi, Mr and Mrs. Hibiki and Kira," Cagalli greeted as her mother came up from the office.

"Hello," said Mr. Hibiki as he looked as his daughter and his previous wife.

Mrs. Hibiki had a sad look, which Cagalli knew that Kira's mom knew that she was her step-daughter. "Come on in," said Nyra as she invited them in for tea.

They all sat around the dining room as Mr. Hibiki broke the silence. "Kira, there is something we should tell you," he said.

Kira, who sat next to Cagalli looked at his dad. "What is it?" he asked, knowing that whatever it was, it was important that involved Cagalli and her mother.

Mr. Hibiki looked at everyone. "Well you see... Cagalli is your sister," he said calmly.

Kira had a shocked face that clearly said I-dated-my-sister?! Cagalli would have laughted if the situation wasn't so serious. He stood up. "B-but h-how?!" he demanded.

Mr. Hibiki looked to his wife who nodded. Then he looked to Nyra who looked straight into his eyes. He took a deep breath and explained everything that he had explained to Cagalli and to his two wives. When he finished, Kira slowly slid back down to his seat. He turned to Cagalli. "So, you're my step-sister huh?" he said.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes," she said.

Kira looked to the adults. "Then why were we almost engaged?" he questionned.

Mr. Hibiki sighed. "Well I never thought that I would meet Nyra and Cagalli again and never thought that you would know Cagalli, so I never said anything to Nyra or Via until it was almost too late. You see, as a scientist, I am never left on Earth for long because my space expeditions are quite long. There was no connection up in the atmosphere so I didn't know what was going on. So it was all of my fault. I'm sorry, everyone," he said.

Via hugged her husband's arm while Nyra gave him a sad forgiving look. Cagalli and Kira both nodded. Mr. Hibiki smiled. "You guys know what? That went a lot better than I had hoped. How about we all go out for a family dinner?" he offered.

Everyone brightened up somewhat. "Okay!" they all agreed and left.

* * *

Takeshi slept soundly through the day as he was really exhausted with all the detective work. As soon as he got up, he packed all of his things and headed towards home, even though the week wasn't over. As soon as he reached home, he found his father in the study. "Father," he said. 

Patrick turned in surprise. "T-takeshi! Where have you been?!" he demanded.

Takeshi ignored his question and instead, pulled one of his own. "Nevermind that, but tell me the truth, are you really Patrick Zala, my father?"

Patrick stared at him as his cover was slowly disinergrating. He was speechless; he never expected Takeshi to find out so quickly. "Are you? I know my true identity is Athrun Zala. Now answer me," said Takeshi.

Patrick lowered his eyes and slowly nodded. "Yes, my son. Our true identities is Patrick and Athrun Zala," he said quietly.

Athrun narrowed his eyes. "Why father?! Why did you erase my memories? Did you know how much hurt you put through Cagalli and I?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Athrun... but the reason I erased your memories was to protect you.." said Patrick guiltily.

"To protect me?! From what?!" Athrun yelled in anger.

Patrick sighed as he looked sadly at his son. "Long ago, when you were still a young boy of 4, there was a terrorist attack in Japan. The terrorist group was called the 'Blue Cosmos'. You heard of them, have you not?" he said.

Athrun nodded. "They're an anti-coordinator group," he said.

Patrick nodded. "In the attack, which was aimed at Zala mansion, killed your mother and my wife. You were asleep back then in your bed while your mother and I were chatting outside. Then we saw shadowed figures in the sky. We ran into the house to get you; to protect you when they came down. Your mother had you in her arms while I was trying to fend them off. They went after you and your mother, afterall, you were my heir. They killed your mother in the process and I was also badly injured. My arm was badly damaged and I barely escaped with you in one arm. We fled and the military fought back. Eventually the terrorists fled and it was all over,"

"I knew they would come back one day and I waited for an opportunity to make you disappear. Three years ago was my perfect chance. You were bangled up pretty badly and it wouldn't hurt to remove your memories of who you were. And I also changed my idenity so that you wouldn't be alone,"

Athrun stared at his father in shock. "Mother was killed in a terrorist attack? You always told me she died in a car accident," he said in a deathly silent voice.

Patrick sighed again but then looked at him surprised. "You remember that? I told you that before you lost your memories. Does that mean your memories are back?" he asked.

Athrun shrugged. "Only bits and bits. I went to learn more about the places where I used to go, like my old school to see if I could remember more stuff. I met a friend of Cagalli's who helped me quite a bit," he said.

"Then does everything come as a shock to you?" Patrick questionned.

Athrun nodded. "Yeah, somewhat. At first when I met Cagalli, I kept seeing blurred visions of the past and always got confused when I didn't understand what they were about. But after spending a while with Cagalli, the visions became more clearer and I came to understand them. And now, I know who I truly am. I think I'll go back to my original self," he said thoughtfully.

Patrick nodded slowly. "Alright, but I have to warn you to be careful. Other than the people you trust, you will use your cover name as Takeshi Izutawa," he said.

Athrun nodded again. "Okay, I promise. Now.. to dye my hair back to normal and get rid of these contacts..." he said as he headed towards the bathroom.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's that! Athrun is going back to normal! As you may have noticed, around the beginning of the confession between Patrick and Athrun, I switched Takeshi's name back to Athrun's. I like using Athrun's name a lot more than Takeshi's. XD Anyway, it was quite long to make up for the short previous chapters and I promise this time I will update in less than a week, but I gotta catch up on my work first. 5 more chapters to go for this fic... and then I'll do another AxC fic. Until next update, see y'all.**


	26. Reunited

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for reviewing my other chapter. I apologize this is a short chapter, but it is late at night and y'all probably have been waiting for this chapter. Btw, I forgot to do the disclaimer and I apologize for that also! Hope you'll like it!**

**Some Questions I got (and might have forgotten to answer from other chapters):**

**Q: (from JadeValentine)** ** I have some question here, I really wanted to know if Kira know that they were siblings, and is Cagalli will be older than him since Ulen and Nyra been together and she was pregnant when Ulen leave her for another girl that was Kira's mother? 'am I right? Pls, let us know in your next chapter, and update soon thnx!**

**A: So sorry! I forgot to answer in the previous chapter! Yeah, Kira now knows Cagalli is his sibling and yes, Cagalli is older by a few hours. How you may ask? Well I think coordinators grow much faster than naturals when they're babies so he caught up to Cagalli, even though he is supposed to be a year younger. **

**Q: (from ****Hades.Throne.Heiress**)** I have but one question, if athrun knew all along that he had contacts on, wasn't he ever suspicious why he had them on, and why he had to hide his eye's original colour?**

**A: I had a feeling this would come up. XD He was brainwashed by Patrick who dyed Athrun's hair. His father also made him wear contacts because he lied that girls would like brown eyes better than green, which convinced him since his father told him that he had horrible relationship with girls. (which is so totally wrong, Patrick is a big liar Xp)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS of GSD, besides, I am a horrible storyboard artist XD

* * *

**

Chapter 26:Reunited

A certain blonde was waken up by the ring of her cellphone, groaning, Cagalli got up and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Cagalli. You sound sleepy, did you just wake up? It's past noon" said the voice she longed most to hear.

Cagalli smiled happily. "Takeshi! You're back?" she said.

"Yep, even though it wasn't a full week, I got what I wanted and now I really want to see you. I have a surprise for you. Are you busy today?" Athrun replied.

"Nope! Where should I meet you?" Cagalli asked.

"How about Tanaka Park around 3?" Athrun suggested.

Cagalli nodded. "Okay, that is fine. I'll see you then," she said as she hung up.

Athrun smiled. He couldn't wait to see her face when he appeared as himself and not as Takeshi. _Cagalli, it's all thanks to you I can remember everything as clear as water now. You had to wait so long for my return, but you shall not wait any longer._ He thought.

Cagalli quickly rushed as she got dressed and then quickly brushed her hair. Nyra watch her with an amused look on her face. "Where's the fire?" she asked as her daughter went past her.

Cagalli turned around and smiled. "I'm meeting Takeshi today. He just came back from his trip and he said he had something to show me," she said.

Nyra grinned. "So this Takeshi is the one you love right?" she asked.

Cagalli bobbed her head up and down. "Well, maybe tomorrow night, our family, Kira's family and Takeshi's family could have dinner together, afterall, Takeshi does know Kira, doesn't he?" Nyra suggested.

Cagalli nodded again. "Yeah he does. Okay, I'll go ask him about it. And maybe you could phone Kira?" she said slowly.

Nyra smiled as she tossled her daughter's hair. Cagalli scowled. "I don't like it when you do that, mom," she grumbled.

Nyra laughed. "C'mon, only this once. And fine, I'll phone Kira's house. Now, when is your date with Takeshi?" she asked.

Cagalli looked at the grandfather clock in the hall way and flipped. "Oh my god! I'm going to be late! It's 2:55!" she yelled as she rushed to get everything ready.

Nyra sighed. "Want me to drive you?" she offered.

Cagalli shook her head. "Nah, if I run, I'll be there on time," she declined.

She quickly took off and ran since the park wasn't that far. In a few minutes time, she reached the park out of breath. "I'm (pant) so (pant) out of shape (pant)," said Cagalli as she calmed her breathing.

When she did so, she looked around to see that the park was fuller than usual. Cagalli looked around, but saw no one that looked like Takeshi. _He should have been here by now... He's never late..._ As moments passed, worry and nervousness passed through her. _I can't find him anywhere, oh no! Maybe something bad happened?! No!_ Then all of a sudden, she was shaken out of her thoughs as someone grabbed her from behind. Cagalli was stunned and her first reaction was to punch the lights out of the stranger, but suddenly stopped as she smelled a familar scent that she haven't smelled for three years. She relaxed and stopped struggling and the stranger released her. Cagalli quickly turned and gasped. "Ta-Athrun?" she managed to say.

It was truly Athrun. His original midnight hair and warm emerald eyes were back. He smiled that charming smile of his. "It's me," he said.

Cagalli felt tears come to her eyes. "Tak- I mean Athrun, you remember everything?" she asked.

Athrun pulled her into a deep embrace. "Yes, I'm back and I'm not ever going to leave you alone again," he whispered into her ears.

Cagalli sighed, it was the first time in three years that she received a hug by this man. Takeshi was Athrun and Athrun was Takeshi, but then his hugs didn't feel the same as they did now. Takeshi didn't know who he truly was and was confused about his past. But no longer. The clouds have lifted and his memories have restored, all thanks to who he thought was the most beautiful woman in the world. After the two released each other, Cagalli looked into the depths of Athrun's sparkling emerald eyes. "It's good to have you back, Athrun," she said.

Athrun nodded. "Yes, it's good to be me again. But you knew all along that I was Athrun, not Takeshi?" he said.

Cagalli lowered her eyes guiltly. "At first no. I had mistaken you in the beginning and after a while I was convinced that you were really Takeshi and not Athrun. But I recall the experiences we spent together and started to find out about your death, finding out that there was never a burial spot for you.

"While learning more about my family, I came upon an old photo of my mother's friends, your father and mine. I found your father's name on the back and did some research, knowing that he was your father. It was said that the chairman of one of our most important and biggest companies had suddenly vanished soon after his son's death and was never found. So I took the photo and compared it with Takeshi's father and in the end, I came to a conclusion that was he was Patrick in disguise. I went to him one day and eventually got him to spill it for me," she explained.

Athrun blinked. "But then if you knew, why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Cagalli sighed. "Your father told me I couldn't just tell you that you really weren't Athrun Zala, son of Patrick Zala, I had to help you remember your past and you yourself have to come to a conclusion that you weren't the person you thought you were. I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier," she said apologetically.

Athrun shook his head. "No, _I'm_ the one who should be apologizing for not realizing who I was earlier. And I should be thanking you also for helping me. Thanks to you, I am able to remember my old memories of everyone," he said but then frowned. "But something you said still confuses me. You said you found a picture of your mother with my father and_ your_ father. But I remember once you told me you never met your father,"

Cagalli blushed. "It turns out I did know him. But now, he's not only my father, he's also a father of one of my closest friends," she said.

Athrun blinked. "Who?" he asked.

"Kira," Cagalli said barely more than a whisper.

Athrun stared at her in shock. "K-kira?! But that can't be...?"

Cagalli shook her head. "It's the truth. My father left me and my mother after his father threw a knife and wounded my mother. Father was afraid and did not want to cause her any more hurt so he thought it would be best to forget he ever loved her. Then sometime soon, he met up with Via and fell in love with her and had Kira. Biologically, I'm older by at least one year if Kira was a natural, but he isn't and coordinators like you and Kira grow much faster so it turned out that he had the same birthday as I do, only a few hours difference," she explained.

Athrun tilted his head to the side. "Does it bother you that Kira is your step-brother?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head. "In the beginning when I first found out, I was. I was about to marry my own step-brother! But now I find it alright, since Kira and I had been really close since we were little and I had always loved him," she said.

Athrun blinked. "Loved..?" he questionned.

Cagalli shook her head quickly. "No! Not like that! I mean, love as in I loved him as a brother and I'm sure he feels the same," she said. "You're the one that I truly love,"

Athrun smiled. "Then if I were Takeshi, would it matter to you?" he asked.

Cagalli shook her head again. "No, Athrun and Takeshi are the same person so that means I love both of you," she said. "Which reminds me, my mother wanted me to invite you and your father along with Kira's family out to dinner,"

"That's good; Father and I will come all because I love you too," said Athrun as he pulled her into another embrace.

As they met each other's eyes, each closed their own and shared a sweet kiss that felt it would freeze time and last forever. It was true bliss for them both. However, little did they know that their happiness would last momentarily and that they would each lose someone they loved.

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it. A cliffie! Well sorta... The ending will be a little tragic but I'm pretty sure it will turn out okay. Thanks to all reviewers once again!**


	27. Evening Surprise

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's another update! This story is near its end, but I hope I can make the ending really sasifying for y'all. Anyway, here is a question:**

**Q: BTW is it near the end or are there gonna be even more conflicts in the story?** **(Hades.Throne.Heiress)**  
**A: This is the last conflict in this story and yes the final chapter will be chapter 30, so you still have this chapter and 2 more to enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't own GS or GSD!

* * *

**

Chapter 27: Evening surprise

As the next day came quickly, the three familes got ready for the upcoming dinner. Cagalli stood waiting for her mother as she grumbled about her appearance. Earlier her mother had said, "Cagalli, why won't you wear something more formal for tonight's dinner?" asked Nyra as she fussed over her daughter.

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "If I wear something nice, I swear that it'll be wrecked somehow when we get home.

Nyra hid her smile. They always had this arguement whenever there was a formal dinner. "Just this once? C'mon, you want to look nice for Ta-Athrun was it?" she said.

Yesterday, after spending the whole day with Athrun, who volunteered to take her home, Cagalli introduced him once more only this time as Athrun Zala and not Takeshi Izutawa. And she had to explain everything to her mom as well. Cagalli sighed. "Athrun doesn't care what I look like. He loves me either way," she declined.

"But, I bet he'd be very happy to see you looking so pretty," said Nyra as she played her trumpt card.

Cagalli sighed again, only this time it was in defeat. "Alright! Alright! I'll wear a dress. But no pink," she said.

Nyra had smiled as she successfully got her daughter into a splendid looking dress that was pale green. It had a bit of lace, but not a whole lot. Next she had did her daughter's hair (who only agreed to because it was either the hair or the makeup) by putting it up into a ponytail and then twisted it so her hair was pointing upwards. So now she looked like this. "Mother, are you ready yet? Kira and his parents will be here soon if you don't hurry," Cagalli called.

Nyra nodded as she came down quickly. She wore a black gown which was very beautiful. Her hair was tied into a neat bun and had very faint makeup on. Her gray eyes sparkled as she smiled at her daughter. "So I take it you're ready?" she asked.

Cagalli nodded, but stopped mid-way. "Oh! I forgot something important!" she said as she ran back upstairs well Nyra shot her daughter an amused look.

Cagalli quickly went into her room and took out a small box from her drawer. As she opened the lid, a small emeral glow welcomed her. _This time, I'll be able to wear it with happiness._ Cagalli placed the necklace around her neck and went back to her mother to find that Kira and his parents were already here. Kira greeted her. "Hey Cagalli, you look good," he said.

Cagalli tried to hide her mischievous grin, but failed. "I better," she said good-heartly.

Ulen nodded. "Well let's go meet Patrick and his boy. I haven't spoken to him for a good long time," he said.

Everyone agreed as they got into the Hibiki's car. At the exact time, the two familes arrived at the restaurant and was greeted by Athrun's family. Athrun stared for a while at his girlfriend but then smiled at her. Cagalli, who was worried at first, but felt better to see his smile. As the adults and Kira coversed, Athrun pulled Cagalli aside. "You look absolutely amazing," he whispered in her ear.

Cagalli smiled for it was only his opinons that mattered to her that night. "Now, let's go join the others," said Athrun as he led her to the table.

It was a cloudly night. "I really hope it doesn't rain," commented Nyra.

Via nodded. "I hope so too, but I think it will,"

While the parents conversed, the three teenagers chatted. "So A-athrun, will you be continuing photography?" Kira asked.

Cagalli hid her smile.

**

* * *

Flashback: **

_"Hey Athrun, let's go see Kira, I bet he'll be surprised to see you," said Cagalli the day before._

_Athrun nodded. "Sure, afterall, his house isn't too far from yours right?" he said._

_"Yeah, this will be fun," said Cagalli as Athrun drove to Kira's._

_As Cagalli and Athrun got out of the car, Cagalli quickly ran the doorbell. She hear heavy footsteps come down stairs. "Coming!" said a familar voice._

_Athrun grinned at her. As they heard the door creak, Athrun quickly moved out of the sight's way. He stood at the side of the doorway where Kira would not be able to see him. Kira came into view as the door opened fully. "Cagalli?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"_

_Cagalli grinned. "Kira, I want you to meet someone," she said._

_Kira blinked. "Meet someone, but I don't see anyone else," he said as he looked behind Cagalli._

_Athrun went out of his spot and grinned in front of his old best friend's face. "Hey Kira!" he greeted loudly._

_Kira jumped very high. "A-a-a..." he stammered._

_Athrun smiled. "Yep, it's me, Athrun," he said for him._

_Kira stared. "B-but how?!" he said. "Y-you're dead?"_

_Cagalli and Athrun chuckled. "Well that is one long story, invite us in and we'll tell you all about it, Kira.." said Athrun._

**

* * *

End of flashback **

Athrun shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I only took up photography as Takeshi and I'm not Takesih anymore," he said.

Kira smiled as he turned his head towards his step-sister. "What about you Cagalli?" he asked.

Cagalli turned her hidden smile into a thoughtful expression. "I think not, I only took it because I wanted to please Mir. I had a fun time while doing so, but it is not suited for me. I think I'll continue with my studies, since my mother says it's best for me," said Cagalli finally.

Nyra overheard and beamed at her daughter. "I think your future will be a good one, Cagalli," said Via.

Cagalli smiled. "Thanks, Via," she said as she turned her head. "Oh look, here comes the food!" she said.

The waiter came and delivered their food and they ate happily. Sometime after they finished and were still conversing, Athrun took Cagalli outside for some air. "You know Cagalli, in your future, I want to be a part of it," said Athrun as he held her hand.

Cagalli smiled as she hugged him. "Yes, I want you to be there too. With you there, I'll always succeed," she said.

Suddenly, a loud sound erupted through the sky. Cagalli looked up. "What is that? Thunder?" she said.

Athrun squinted. "Yes, but there's something else too... look!" he said as he pointed to a very distant object that was coming closer.

Cagalli squinted as well. "What is _that_? Is it just me, or is that _thing_ coming closer and closer to us?" she said.

Athrun nodded slowly. "I think you're right. It's also getting bigger as it is getting closer. Cagalli, I think we better go inside and tell our parents," he said.

The black object was much, much closer now. It was getting near the restaurant. Cagalli shrugged. "Are you sure? Maybe it'll pass through?" she suggested.

Athrun shook his head. "No, I'm definitely sure it's coming here. We have to go!" he said.

He took Cagalli's hand and quickly led her inside. "Father! We must go immediately!" said Athrun nervously.

Patrick and the other adults looked at him in surprise. "What? What is the matter, Athrun?" he asked.

Then a large explosion answered his question for him. The glass suddenly shattered and many people screamed. Everyone stood up alarmed. "What is going on?!" Ulen shouted over to commosion.

Then they all heard gunshots. "Cagalli! Get down!" Athrun shouted as he jumped to cover her.

Ulen kicked the table so it would act like a shield. "Urgh! It's the Blue Cosmos!" he shouted as he peeked from the side.

People were getting shot by the dozen. "What?!" Patrick and Athrun shouted.

A bullet went through the waiter that was in front of their table. Blood was sprayed all over the place. Cagalli gasped. "We can't stay here!" she shouted.

Ulen and Patrick looked urgently back and forth to see which was the better exit, the front entrance or the back. The front was heavily guarded and was not an option. "Then that leaves the back," said Ulen. "Everyone! Run for it and don't look back," he shouted.

Via stared at her husband. "Ulen! Are you mad?! We won't make it!" she yelled.

"It's our only hope, we have to or else we're sitting ducks waiting to be shot," said Ulen as he lowered his eyes.

In the end, everyone quickly agreed. "NOW! RUN!" Ulen shouted and they all ran for their lives.

"There! Get them!" ordered someone and the shots began.

By instinct, Athrun grabbed Cagalli and carried her bridal-style while everyone else ran. A shot just grazed Ulen's shoulder and he winced. "Don't stop!" he yelled and they kept on going until they reached outside.

However, outside wasn't that much better, the Blue Cosmos terrorist group was killing everyone in sight. "Move!" Patrick yelled as they ducked the bulletshots.

They kept on running and running until it seemed that there was a safe place to stop. They were all out of breath. "Is everyone okay?" Kira asked as soon as he regained his breathing.

Ulen held his shoulder. "Other than this, I'm fine, it just grazed me luckily," he said as his wife held him, concerned.

Cagalli looked back and forth and suddenly gasped. "Mom! You've been shot!" she cried as she hurried over to her mother.

Nyra gave her daughter a weak smile. "I-i'm alright. I was just careless. The wound isn't too deep," she said as she held her side.

Cagalli quickly tore a part of her dress and used it as a bandage. "Hold on, we'll get through this, I promise!" she said, trying to keep the concern out of her voice.

Nyra nodded as she beared the pain. They all held their breath as someone came closer. Ulen swore under his breath. "Damnit! There is no exit from here, we'll have to charge them," he said.

The shadow came closer and closer and everyone got ready to spring. "Over he-!" the person tried to yell, but Ulen threw a gigantic rock at the soldier's head, breaking his neck.

"Run for it!" he yelled as the Blue Cosmos came after them.

They all ran again. "KILL THEM! AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO SURVIVORS!" ordered a loud voice.

Many bulletshots were heard and they all turned the corner to avoid it. Cagalli tripped on her long dress and fell hard. "CAGALLI!" Athrun shouted as the terrorists came closer and closer to her.

He sprang into action but someone got there first. A shot was heard and he felt his heart stop. Cagalli closed her eyes and waited to die, but moments later found that she was still alive. She opened her eyes to find Nyra in front of her, slowly bleeding to death. "MOTHER!" she screamed.

Meanwhile with the others. Athrun was halfway to Cagalli where a second and third shot were heard. But someone had pushed him down to the ground. Athrun grunted as he felt hot blood around him. He opened his eyes and gasped. "N-no... FATHER!" he yelled.

* * *

**A/N: Ooooh! Another cliffhanger! Sorry, but I just wanted to build up the suspense for you all! I'll do my best to update soon and I apologize if there is any spelling mistakes/grammar mistakes I might have missed. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter and to those who have reviewed since the begining! It means a lot to me to hear your comments!**


	28. Shattered Hearts

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is a really short chapter, but I hope the next one will be longer. I was really surprised at Patrick's popularity! I never knew Patrick Zala from GS was so popular! Many of you were a bit upset over his death, but in this chapter, I'll explain why I killed him off.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything or anyone. I just own this plot.

* * *

**

Chapter 28: Shattered Hearts

As Patrick slowly fell, Athrun quickly caught his father before he reached the ground. Patrick's body was covered in blood but he weakily touched his son's face. "Ath-run... I-i've -finally st-opped running..." he said as he smiled for the last time.

His hand was about to fall, but Athrun held it up back to his face. "I know, father... Goodbye..." his bangs covered his eyes, but everyone knew he was crying quietly.

Meanwhile with Nyra, she feel down to her knees gasping for air as blood flowed out of her. As if by instinct, Cagalli leapt to her feet and started to go after the shooter that shot both her mother and Athrun's fater, but a soft voice held her back. "C-cagalli, don't..."

The shooter retreated due to his command, "The military is coming! Retreat! I repeat! All forces pull back!"

Cagalli froze in place for a few seconds before running back to her mother and everyone. They were all gathered around Nyra and Patrick. Ulen held Nyra so that her head was on his lap as he sat down for her. "No Nyra! Not you too! Don't leave!" he pleaded.

Nyra smiled faintly. "Ulen t-take care of Cagalli f-for me," she whispered as tears came from her eyes.

Then she turned to Athrun who still held his father sadly. "Please l-look after her," she said and finally turned to face her daughter the best she could.

Her soft sandy hair was soaked in blood and her clear grey eyes were starting to dull. "Cagalli.. keep on l-living... and .. be h-happy for me..."

She gave a small sigh and finally closed her eyes. Everyone turned their gazes at Cagalli, whose bangs also covered her face. "I told you my dress would end up getting dirty.." she whispered.

Her voice trembled. "Cagalli?" said Athrun as he laid his father down gently so that he seemed to be asleep.

Cagalli quickly got up and ran away as fast as she could. Her stream of tears trailed behind her. Ulen got up as well, but his wife shook her head gently. "Let him go," she said as she nodded once at Athrun.

Ulen nodded and Kira watched his step-sister run. _She's alone once more.._ Cagalli ran and ran. Her breathing was rapid and short. Her honey brown eyes were dull and full of fear. She passed many dead bodies that were slain and blood covered the streets. Cagalli kept running until she was out of the part of town that was attacked. When she stopped, she was at the place where it all began. In other words, she was at her high school. Cagalli panted heavily as she went across the grass field and into the forest. She kept going until she reached her secret place that she once shared with Athrun. Cagalli slowed down as she gazed around her. Behind her, a voice called out her name. "Cagalli!"

Cagalli did a half-turn and looked at him. Athrun felt his heart stop. The one that he loved most looked like she was lifeless. Her face was as white as snow and her eyes lost that golden glow that he loved. Athrun slowed down as well and held out a hand to touch her face. Cagalli shifted her face so that he was out of range. Athrun re-ajusteed his hands so now one of them was on her shoulder while the other was on her chin. He tiled her chin upwards. "Cagalli, please look at me," he said quietly.

Slowly Cagalli moved her eyes to meet his. "Oh A-athrun..." she whimpered like a lost little girl.

Athrun stepped forward and embraced her tightly. "Cagalli..." he whispered as Cagalli cried into his arms.

"Why! Why! Why did she have to die like that?!" she yelled as she hit him with her fists.

Athrun didn't know how to respond so he kept the silence. After Cagalli calmed down by a little she looked at him with tearful eyes. "S-she looked as if she was sleeping... but she'll never wake up.." she said.

Athrun looked at her sadly. "Did you know what my father said to me?" he asked quietly.

Cagalli shook her head. "He told me that he had stopped running. He accepted his fate and knew his end was near when he told us the truth. Father didn't have to, but he chose to. He finally came out of hiding and faced his fears. Now.. he can rest in peace without worrying day after day any longer..." he said.

Cagalli's chin wobbled. "I-i can't go home anymore... Mother isn't there," she said as her tears were on the edge of spilling.

Athrun held her tightly as if he was to protect her from anything that would come to harm her. "I know... but she wanted you to keep living no matter what, so please stop crying because she wants you to be happy. As for having no place to stay, I would be overjoyed to have you stay with me," he whispered.

Cagalli nodded as she sniffled. "Okay..."

Athrun smiled slightly as he released her. "Now, let's get back to the others, for they must be extremely worried about us," he said and they went back.

**

* * *

A/N: Well there you have it! 2 more chapters to go and this fic will finally be done! Hope you liked it and wasn't too angry with me over Patrick's death!**


	29. Farewell

**A/N: This chapter sorta sums everything up and I hope it satisifies y'all. The next and last chapter will be the afterword on what happens and I'm 90 sure it will be quite short. I got a question for you, was the last chapter with Athrun explaining why Patrick chose to die really that bad? Anyway, here you go and I hope you will enjoy! **

Disclaimer: I don't own GS or GSD, only this plot and the OC I put in here like Nyra.

* * *

Chapter 29: Farewell

It took a while, but eventually, Cagalli and Athrun got back to the others who were waiting for them. "Cagalli..." said Kira as he approached his step-sister.

Cagalli turned to face Kira. "I'm better now, Kira," she said.

Ulen nodded. "Yes, that is good but it seems that we may have to walk for a bit because the roads here are all broken," he said.

Via agreed. "We can until we see that we are out of this part of town," then she turned to face Patrick and Nyra who both looked like they were in an enchanted slumber. "But what about them?" she asked.

Kira looked sadly at the two. "Maybe we should wait? The military should be here soon and then we can get help," he suggested.

Ulen turned towards Athrun and Cagalli. "What do you two think we should do?" he asked.

Athrun and Cagalli looked thoughtful and then turned to each other who both nodded once. "I say we should wait for help. It should be soon," said Athrun.

"Then it's settled, we shall wait," said Ulen and he sat down on a fallen tree trunk.

Before long, the military did come. They sent many helicopters but they came to find that the Blue Cosmos Terrorist group had retreated. Instead of being a battle troop, they became the healing troop and helped all the wounded and dead people including Ulen and the rest of the group. Each member had some damage done. Ulen got shot in the shoulder while Via had scraped her ankle on the broken pavement. Athrun's face was slightly cut while Cagalli was badly bruised when her mother shielded her. Only Kira was okay, although his dress shirt had a big rip. When the people tried to work with Cagalli, she sent them away. "I'm fine, help the others first," she said and they did so.

The helicopters took them to one of the biggest hospitals and they were all treated. As night fell, Cagalli felt alone in her big hospital room. She got up with her good arm because the other arm was badly bruised and was in a sling. She sat in bed as she thought about a lot of things. Like the time when she first met Athrun, when she won the track meet, when Athrun gave her her emerald necklace, when Athrun had died, when her mother moved in with her into a bigger house. How she first met Takeshi who really was Athrun, how she met and talked with her father who was Kira's father. And back then, her mom was there, but now she was gone... Cagalli sniffled. "Mom..."

She held her knees as she placed her head onto them. She couldn't cry, she wouldn't. Suddenly a gently but firm knock was heard at her door. Cagalli looked up. "Come in," she said.

The door opened to reveal Athrun who came in and gently closed the door. As he came closer, he had a worried expression. "Cagalli? Have you been crying?" he whispered.

Cagalli shook her head and sniffled. "N-no.." she said.

Athrun sat on the edge of her bed and held her. "You know, it's okay to cry once every while, but it is a bad thing to cry everyday," he said.

Cagalli nodded as she resisted to cry. "I'll miss her.." she said in a small voice.

Athrun nodded as well. "Yes, I'll miss Father very much, after all, both my parents are now dead," he said soberly.

Cagalli's eyes widened in surprise. She had forgotten that Patrick was all that Athrun had and here she was feeling sorry for herself and needed Athrun's comfort when it should have been the other way around. She sat up. "Oh Athrun! I'm sorry! I forgot..." she said apologetically.

Athrun smiled a sad one as he ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about it. The ones that truly love us will not leave us. They'll always be a part of you; a part of your heart and your soul," he said.

Cagalli nodded as she snuggled back into his arms, but was careful of her injured arm. She looked upwards to the ceiling. "Do you think they are watching us from above?" she asked.

Athrun smiled. "Yes, they are praising you on how brave you are," he said.

Cagalli smiled as she soon forgot her troubles and fell into a peaceful slumber. Athrun gently carried her back under her blankets and brushed her bangs away from her face. To him, she had the face of a thousand angels and meant the world to him. Athrun gently kissed her forehead and sat on the chair next to her bed to watch her as she slept. Eventually, his eyelids became heavy and fell asleep as well.

The next morning, Cagalli opened her eyes to the bright sunlight of a new day. She looked around and remembered that she was in a hospital. She heard soft snoring and she turned her head to see Athrun at her left side sleeping on the edge of her bed with his head on his arms. Cagalli smiled like how a mother always smiled at her child. Athrun look so at peace when he slept. Nothing seemed to trouble him as he slept soundly. Cagalli slowly and quietly got out of bed so quietly that Athrun didn't even stir. Cagalli was at the door when she heard him mumble her name in his sleep. "Cagalli... I'll always be here for you..."

Cagalli turned with a few tears in her eyes. She smiled gratefully as she held her emerald pendant that he gave her. Athrun was the only one that cared so much for her that he would do anything. She had longed to hear those words and knew he meant it. "Thank you, Athrun," she whispered as she went out for a walk.

Athrun stirred in his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes to the bright sunlight. He moaned slightly as he sat up. He looked around the room but saw that he was alone. "Cagalli?" he said, alerted.

He saw that Cagalli was there before he woke up. Her sheets were still warm. Athrun got up quickly and dashed out the door. Meanwhile Cagalli was going downstairs. She thought about her mom as she did so and missed a few steps. Flailing as she was about to hit the floor 8 feet under her she held out her hands. Instead of feeling the impact of falling against the hard tiled floor, she felt a warm sorce. Cagalli opened her eyes to meet a pair of emerald ones. "What do you think you were doing?!" Athrun said almost angrily.

Cagalli saw that he was somewhat angry. "I-i just wanted to take a walk in the courtyard," she stammered.

"Why didn't you take it elevator? It is much safer," said Athrun.

"Well, taking the stairs is much faster by my opinon," said Cagalli.

Athrun sighed; this was getting no where. She had no idea how much she had worried him. "Cagalli, when I woke up and saw that you were gone, I panicked. You didn't know how worried I was, did you?" he said as his eyes narrowed.

Cagalli looked at him through surprised eyes. "W-well you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you. Besides, why were you worried," she asked.

Athrun sighed. "I thought you were going to do something crazy," he admitted.

Cagalli's eyes widened. "You thought that... I was going to attempt suicide?" she said in a quiet whisper.

Athrun nodded as he closed his eyes. "Maybe I would have, but I wouldn't leave you. Besides, Mother's dying words were to keep on living," said Cagalli.

Athun sighed once again but this time in relief. "I'm sorry I worried you though," said Cagalli.

Athrun hugged her tightly. "It's okay, I'm sorry I was practically yelling at you,"

Cagalli smiled as Athrun released her. Her stomach suddenly growled like a newborn cub. She blushed bright red. Athrun chuckled amusedly. "Now before you go for a stroll, I suggest we have breakfast," he said.

Cagalli laughed good-naturally and agreed. When they went down to the cafeteria, they met Kira and his parents who were chatting. "Hey, good morning, Cagalli!" Kira greeted them.

Cagalli and Athrun smiled. "Good morning,"

They both got served some cold cereal and some toast. Cagalli finished hers quickly and watched the others ate their proportions. Finally after Ulen finished, he turned towards his daughter. "Cagalli, Via and I have been thinking, after all of us get released from the hospital, which will be very soon, would you like to come like with us? Athrun, you can come with us too if you like," he offered as he nodded his head at Athrun as well.

Cagalli and Athrun looked at each other. Cagalli shook her head. "Thanks, Ulen, Via, but Athrun and I are planning to live at his house, since I don't want to go home," she said and Athrun smiled at her.

Ulen looked slightly disappointed, but then smiled at his daughter. "If that is what you wish," he said.

Athrun and Cagalli grinned at each other and Cagalli couldn't wait to live with him. After a few days passed, they went released from the hospital as promised and Cagalli and the others went to the funeral of Nyra and Patrick. Cagalli tried her hardest not to cry while Athrun had a stoned face. Shortly after that, they both went to Cagalli's house for the last time. Cagalli packed her things and her house seemed lifeless. Her mother's will was eventually found and she wanted her daughter to have everything she owned. They stood out in the front yard for the last time. "Shall we go?" said Athrun after they looked silently at the old house.

Cagalli nodded. "Let's," she said and grasped a small object in her pocket tightly.

It was the golden locket she had found while going around searching for clues about her father. Inside was a photo of her father, Ulen Hibiki and her mother, Nyra Amelia Athha. As Athrun got into his car, Cagalli looked up at the sky. _Farewell, Mother, you don't have to worry about me anymore... I'll be alright with Athrun by my side. Rest in peace and most of all, be happy.._ She smiled and turned to Athrun. "C'mon, let's go!" she laughed as they drove away to her new home.

* * *

**A/N: There you go! What did you think? I thought it was a little bit sad, but decided it would be a good everything. Chapter 30 will be the afterward and will be updated really soon! (Can't wait to get started on another long fic, which I already have a good idea what is gonna happen. Preview in the next chap) Big thanks to all reviewers and flames are allowed if you thought the ending sucked. If it really did, then I might re-write it! **


	30. Distant Memory

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my final chapter (sniffle) but I'm also happy that I'm finally finished! Like I said, this chapter is really short but is also the afterward. I wrote it in a first person so here, it would be as if Cagalli was telling the afterward. Hope you like it and please read my summary of my next AxC Fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS or GSD and if I did, I would have changed ep 45 in GSD, so sad!

* * *

**

**Chapter 30: Distant Memory**

_Three years have passed since her death and eventually, I, Cagalli Yula Athha got over it._ I walked down this familar road that I've been visiting for three years. "Athrun.. let's go see her," I said as he nodded.

He held my hand and my beautiful diamond ring glittered in the sunlight. We made our way up the hill and saw a big gloomy cemetary. We walked silently as I went up to my mother's grave. I did my best not to cry and smile as I spoke to her, "Hello, mother... it's me, Cagalli," I started out, not knowing what I should say.

I turned my head back towards Athrun, who nodded at me. I swallowed and continued. "I wish you were here to see this day I've always longed for, but I have a feeling that you have been watching us in heaven. I can't tell you how happy I was when he first proposed to me,"

"It happened a few months ago when we went out on a date and now the big day came. Athrun and I are now married and I have been living with him for the past three years. Kira and the others are all doing fine. Kira and Lacus are planning to get married, and it seemed that Kira was in love with Lacus for a long time but kept it a secret. They have been going out some time later after you left, but they both care deeply for each other. Mirillia, you remember her, don't you? She got together with Dearka and they're currently dating. I hope it goes well because Dearka can be a bit perverted at times, but with Mirillia, she can keep him under control,"

"And my friend Meyrin, she finally gratuated from Shinto and is now going to university with Athrun and I. It seems she has also fallen for another boy named Auel Neider. But last of all, you told me to find my happiness and I've found it within my beloved, Athrun. Nothing will be able to tear us apart as we both swore to the deaths for one another. I hope you are smiling when you are hearing this because I also want you to be happy where you are as well. I love you, mom," I concluded.

Athrun bent down so he could speak as well. "Nyra, you don't have to worry anymore about her. Cagalli's a strong independant woman now and even if she ever needed help, I'll be there to guide her in your place," he said.

I smiled and Athrun turned to his father's grave, which happened to be beside mother's. "Father, I hope you are doing well because I am. You might have heard what Cagalli had said, but in case you didn't, I have gotten married with her and is now her husband. Three years ago, when you said your dying words, 'I've stopped running', I thought you were brave and how you sacrificed yourself for me. It was because you wanted to protect the ones that you love and I will be willing to sacrifice myself for Cagalli, the way you did to me," said Athrun.

I smiled as I hugged him. "We will be there for each other," I said as Athrun nodded.

We both stood up. "Let's go, my dearest," said Athrun as he waited for me.

I nodded and said, "Alright,"

I faced the sky and smiled. _Mother, in the end, after all that has happened, everything turned out to be a Distant Memory..._

**The End**

**

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much, everyone! For reading my story and to a lot of you who reviewed at least once in this fic! I'll miss y'all!**

**Many thanks to: Cari-Akira, '' -BlaCKLIsTeD 27- '', MetalPunkHottie, Angelite Phoenix, AsuCaga Freak, Jade Valentine, Aya Schreider, soen, the fighting princess, Inulover4eva, Kathya, akidarchangelprincess, athrucaga-centric, naiyobi, asucagalover-meyrinhater, Minerca's cradle, Hades.Throne.Heiress, ticky.tacky.toey, 3fi-ping3, Belldandy, TinhThuyVan and my anon people! And if I forgot someone, please forgive me! **

**It turns out that this fic was a sucess, even though my writing skills aren't that great. XD But if you want, please look for my next long fic: Island**

_**Summary: When we all boarded the Archangel Voyager, we expected it to be a holiday where we could relax, but after the Archangel sank, everything just turned the be the exact opposide of the way the things were supposed to be. -Cagalli.**_

**Rated T, and Romance and a bit of Drama**

**Hope to see y'all there!**


End file.
